A Sierra Leone pastor shocked the world when he discovered one of the largest diamonds ever to be pulled from the ground and then handed it over to his impoverished government.
"I believe the government can do more, especially at a time when the country is undergoing some economic challenges," said Emmanuel Momoh.
President Bai Koroma expressed gratitude for the pastor's generous heart and called the diamond "a gift from God."
The 709-carat diamond was sold earlier this month for $6,536,360 at an auction in New York City.
"What I did was to show that I love my nation," he told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview from New York.
"I'm confident I made the right decision."
"It will encourage all the diggers back home," Paul Saquee, the village chief from Kono, said in a press conference after the sale. "Instead of being ripped off in some dark corners when they find their diamonds, that they will bring it and put it on the table in front of the government. Maybe this is going to be the beginning of a new day in Sierra Leone."
The government will get 59% of the sale, or about $3.9 million in tax revenue to fund clean water, electricity, schools, health centers and roads, while a quarter of the money will be shared among the crew who dug the stone, according to BuzzFeed.
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