Sierra Leone- Project SIerra - notes from Alison- the leader

Notes from the "field"- Alison Sutherland- Quadrennial Project Liaison
I joined the Study Tour group in Makeni (Tuesday) where they received a joyous welcome – after a 3 hour drive on dusty roads from Bo, Soroptimists danced the last 200m into the HANCI-SL centre with children and young mums who are Project SIerra beneficiaries. The hall was crowded with staff, families and community representatives, including local NGO partners and women representing the local authorities. Introductions, speeches of welcome and a skit performed by young mums all gave warm appreciation to Soroptimist International for the continued support that is giving opportunities to so many women and children in the community. The children are eager to learn and women are encouraged by the support of other women around the world. We also met lovely baby Hannah, born just after the 2009 Study Tour visit and named after President Hanne!



A tour of the centre, where the Soroptimists were as magnets to the crowds of young children eager to hold hands with the new visitors, then lunch of local delicacies (groundnut soup, cassava leaf stew, fresh fruits) were followed by a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the chiefdom, receiving a gracious welcome from elders of the chiefdom in the Chief’s barray (meeting place). Their appreciation of the work of HANCI-SL echoed that expressed earlier by the women community leaders who spoke of the respect local authorities have for HANCI-SL’s work and commitment. Visits were made to families and young mums who had graduated from the programme - one works in the hotel where we stayed and



In the evening a dozen women from the prospective Soroptimist club of Makeni joined us at the hotel for a drink and meeting – their enthusiasm was great to see, they meet regularly and have started income generation activity to support education for girls in surrounding rural areas. The challenge was given to work towards an early chartering of a new Soroptimist club.



Travelling in four vehicles, ten Soroptimist ‘best sisters’ from all Federations getting to know each other better and sharing experiences with staff from our partner Hope and Homes for Children and local partner HANCI-SL is a big part of the Study Tour experience (including a couple of breakdowns and some deft timetable juggling and last minute hotel changes!).



I write this having just waved the group off, in the dark after a 6am breakfast, on their trip up to the remote villages of Tambakha chiefdom to meet families supported through Project SIerra .…. I’m eagerly awaiting their stories!