AWOL was founded in 2001 by a group of young Sierra Leoneans from various backgrounds. Initially, the group was mainly preoccupied with throwing parties to promote friendship through socialising and merry making. That was until Moseray Gibril Fadika (now late) became its Chairman several months later. He quickly convinced his colleagues to forget about throwing parties and instead use such funds to give back to deprive communities and complement the effort of the Government of Sierra Leone in nation building.