Greetings from Sierra Leone--somewhere between Makeni and Freetown. Network coverage has been inconsistent over the past two days, while we travelled to the northern part of the country.
After leaving Bo we went to Makeni, where HHC and their partner HANCI have a project. We were greeted with another festive welcome, and participated in a community assembly. The level of community support for the work our partners is doing is incredible--and is one of the reasons Project SIerra has been so successful here. Our contributions have provided a more stable source of funding, allowing our partners to expand their capacity to serve women and girls in need. We visited some of the beneficiaries of the program--stories about them to follow.
Yesterday we took a very long (and very bumpy!) road to Kamakwie and a community called Tambakha. This village is so remote, the people have been largely ignored by the national government. And HANCI is the only NGO providing services there. The other NGO's have come and gone, unable to deal with the magnitude of challenges.
The people in Tambakha live in abject poverty. HANCI and HHC, with our support, have rebuilt homes damaged in the war, created schools and an orphanage (there is a high number of orphans in this community), constructed a stable water supply system, and have helped the community plant a palm oil plantation.
The community has rallied, inspired by what they can become as a result of our support. More than 50 percent of the children are now in school, and education has become an important community value.
This community is so poor, but we were treated like royalty, with a big community celebration--with the paramount chief and all of the town elders in attendance. As tokens of appreciation we were given kola nuts (which most of our group took small bites from), and two live goats! These are riches to this community, so the gifts show the depth of their gratitude for our help.
Everyone on the tour was moved deeply by the transformations in this community--as a result of Project SIerra. But this day's visit also shows how significant the needs of women and girls are in Sierra Leone, and why supporting Project SIerra is so vitally important.
The January 2010 Project Sierra Study Tour Team
Cathy Standiford
2009-2010 President
Soroptimist International of the Americas
www.soroptimist.org
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Project SIerra- More notes from the field
Greetings from Sierra Leone--somewhere between Makeni and Freetown. Network coverage has been inconsistent over the past two days, while we travelled to the northern part of the country.
After leaving Bo we went to Makeni, where HHC and their partner HANCI have a project. We were greeted with another festive welcome, and participated in a community assembly. The level of community support for the work our partners is doing is incredible--and is one of the reasons Project SIerra has been so successful here. Our contributions have provided a more stable source of funding, allowing our partners to expand their capacity to serve women and girls in need. We visited some of the beneficiaries of the program--stories about them to follow.
Yesterday we took a very long (and very bumpy!) road to Kamakwie and a community called Tambakha. This village is so remote, the people have been largely ignored by the national government. And HANCI is the only NGO providing services there. The other NGO's have come and gone, unable to deal with the magnitude of challenges.
The people in Tambakha live in abject poverty. HANCI and HHC, with our support, have rebuilt homes damaged in the war, created schools and an orphanage (there is a high number of orphans in this community), constructed a stable water supply system, and have helped the community plant a palm oil plantation.
The community has rallied, inspired by what they can become as a result of our support. More than 50 percent of the children are now in school, and education has become an important community value.
This community is so poor, but we were treated like royalty, with a big community celebration--with the paramount chief and all of the town elders in attendance. As tokens of appreciation we were given kola nuts (which most of our group took small bites from), and two live goats! These are riches to this community, so the gifts show the depth of their gratitude for our help.
Everyone on the tour was moved deeply by the transformations in this community--as a result of Project SIerra. But this day's visit also shows how significant the needs of women and girls are in Sierra Leone, and why supporting Project SIerra is so vitally important.
The January 2010 Project Sierra Study Tour Team
Cathy Standiford
2009-2010 President
Soroptimist International of the Americas
www.soroptimist.org
After leaving Bo we went to Makeni, where HHC and their partner HANCI have a project. We were greeted with another festive welcome, and participated in a community assembly. The level of community support for the work our partners is doing is incredible--and is one of the reasons Project SIerra has been so successful here. Our contributions have provided a more stable source of funding, allowing our partners to expand their capacity to serve women and girls in need. We visited some of the beneficiaries of the program--stories about them to follow.
Yesterday we took a very long (and very bumpy!) road to Kamakwie and a community called Tambakha. This village is so remote, the people have been largely ignored by the national government. And HANCI is the only NGO providing services there. The other NGO's have come and gone, unable to deal with the magnitude of challenges.
The people in Tambakha live in abject poverty. HANCI and HHC, with our support, have rebuilt homes damaged in the war, created schools and an orphanage (there is a high number of orphans in this community), constructed a stable water supply system, and have helped the community plant a palm oil plantation.
The community has rallied, inspired by what they can become as a result of our support. More than 50 percent of the children are now in school, and education has become an important community value.
This community is so poor, but we were treated like royalty, with a big community celebration--with the paramount chief and all of the town elders in attendance. As tokens of appreciation we were given kola nuts (which most of our group took small bites from), and two live goats! These are riches to this community, so the gifts show the depth of their gratitude for our help.
Everyone on the tour was moved deeply by the transformations in this community--as a result of Project SIerra. But this day's visit also shows how significant the needs of women and girls are in Sierra Leone, and why supporting Project SIerra is so vitally important.
The January 2010 Project Sierra Study Tour Team
Cathy Standiford
2009-2010 President
Soroptimist International of the Americas
www.soroptimist.org
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Project SIerra- Study Tour- Note from Pres. Cathy
Greetings from Sierra Leone! The Study Tour group arrived safe and sound. We have been joined by Cleo Jerrett from SI Freetown on the tour.
We were given a very warm welcome in Bo yesterday with lovely songs sung by the girls in the teen mother program. We were able to watch them learn different skills such as sewing, tie-dyeing, batik, and hairdressing. Girls learning catering and hotel management prepared a wonderful lunch for us. Delicious!
After touring the centre in Bo, we split into groups and visited some of the beneficiaries of the teen mother. These young women were amazing--and incredibly grateful for the opportunities they now have as a result of this project Soroptimists are funding!
And, this morning we discovered that the baby on the front of the Project SIerra leaflet is the daughter of Mary, a graduate of the teen mother program. (Mary's face is gracing the upper right hand corner of the leaflet!)
Mary now works at the New Sahara Hotel where we stayed last night. Mary proudly showed us a recent photo of her daughter, Mary Anna, who is now 3 and attending preschool. What a joy to meet this wonderful woman and hear her success story!! We will upload photos of Mary holding the "then and now" photos of Mary Anna as soon as we can--but it may not be until next week.
Today we head for Makeni and another Hope & Homes/HANCI project.
More to come later....the January 2010 Study Tour.
We were given a very warm welcome in Bo yesterday with lovely songs sung by the girls in the teen mother program. We were able to watch them learn different skills such as sewing, tie-dyeing, batik, and hairdressing. Girls learning catering and hotel management prepared a wonderful lunch for us. Delicious!
After touring the centre in Bo, we split into groups and visited some of the beneficiaries of the teen mother. These young women were amazing--and incredibly grateful for the opportunities they now have as a result of this project Soroptimists are funding!
And, this morning we discovered that the baby on the front of the Project SIerra leaflet is the daughter of Mary, a graduate of the teen mother program. (Mary's face is gracing the upper right hand corner of the leaflet!)
Mary now works at the New Sahara Hotel where we stayed last night. Mary proudly showed us a recent photo of her daughter, Mary Anna, who is now 3 and attending preschool. What a joy to meet this wonderful woman and hear her success story!! We will upload photos of Mary holding the "then and now" photos of Mary Anna as soon as we can--but it may not be until next week.
Today we head for Makeni and another Hope & Homes/HANCI project.
More to come later....the January 2010 Study Tour.
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