This is the last of 3 posts from the Project SIerra Study Tour team in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The last few days have been a whirlwind of visits, meetings, and inspirations. Yesterday we visited the HANCI project in Kissy providing services to street children (the majority of whom are girls). We met some amazing young girls who are trying to rebuild their lives and move off the streets, with the help of HANCI and our support.
Then we had a meeting with Mrs. Siakormi Koroma, the first lady of Sierra Leone. She graciously welcomed our team and commended us for our support of the people of her country. Like us, she is interested in helping vulnerable girls, and empowering the women here. The visit was recorded for national television, and the First Lady said she would be issuing a press statement about our visit.
Media attention for our visit has been amazing. Margaret Cook, Alice Wells and Chris Knight participated in a radio interview from Bo, Margaret did another radio interview in Makeni, and we had a print media journalist travel with us to Kamakwei and Tambakha. This morning we held a press conference at HANCI's headquarters in Freetown. 4 newspaper reporters, 1 radio, and 1 TV reporter attended, peppering us with questions about the visit and our impressions.
Everyone expressed their gratitude for the work being done by our partners, the stellar results the projects are achieving, and the level of community support wherever HANCI and HHC are operating. "Other NGOs can learn something from HANCI," SI President Elect Alice said.
After lunch, some of us said our farewells for the long journey home. The rest are staying behind for 2 more days, to visit the members of SI Freetown and some of their projects.
We are all so impressed and amazed at the resiliency of women and girls in Sierra Leone, and the staff of HANCI making a difference in their lives. We will have more to share through the Project SIerra website very soon.
Love,
Members of the January 2010 Project Sierra Study Tour
Cathy Standiford
Showing posts with label Project SIerra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project SIerra. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Project SIerra- Update
Update from SI Project Liaison- Alison Sutherland
"The fantastic sum of GBP£332,155 (that is around USD$500,000) has been sent by SI from Soroptimist clubs and members around the world to our Quadrennial Project, Project SIerra: a Family and a Future. Well done and a BIG thank you!!Our Project partner Hope and Homes for Children's recent letter to SI and Federation Presidents and members shows their thanks and talks of the impact Soroptimists are having through Project SIerra:
" I am very happy to ... thank you for your continued support for Project SIerra; a Family and a Future. Along with the energy and enthusiasm that you are clearly committing to the project, the study trip in February demonstrated the personal commitment many Soroptimists around the world have to creating a better world for women, families and children. All of these efforts are together directly transforming the lives of vulnerable women and children and giving them the means and confidence to plan for a positive future.
The Study Trip was an opportunity for Soroptimists from many different parts of the world to experience the conditions in Sierra Leone under which families and children are struggling not only to survive, but work for a positive future. Despite the difficult conditions, every project site we visited was a real celebration of partnership between Soroptimists and families and children. Although the poverty and deprivation are clear to see, the real joy and hope that the project is providing is equally obvious. The Paramount Chief in Kamakwie summed up the impact of Project SIerra when he said “Your presence here gives us confidence.” That gift of confidence, combined with the means and tools to build a better future is a huge achievement every Soroptimist can be rightly proud of.
On behalf of everyone at Hope and Homes for Children and the women, children and families we are working with in Sierra Leone, thank you so much for all you have done to help: for your compassion and your determination to ensure they have a real chance to carve out a brighter future for themselves, in spite of the challenges they have all lived through.
It has been such a promising start to our partnership and we are all very hopeful about how much Project SIerra can achieve over the next two and a half years."
This was sent with his warm wishes by Joe Glackin, HHC's Africa Programme Manager. Joe accompanied Soroptimists on the Study Tour.
For lots more information and resources on Project SIerra, see www.projectsierra.org
"The fantastic sum of GBP£332,155 (that is around USD$500,000) has been sent by SI from Soroptimist clubs and members around the world to our Quadrennial Project, Project SIerra: a Family and a Future. Well done and a BIG thank you!!Our Project partner Hope and Homes for Children's recent letter to SI and Federation Presidents and members shows their thanks and talks of the impact Soroptimists are having through Project SIerra:
" I am very happy to ... thank you for your continued support for Project SIerra; a Family and a Future. Along with the energy and enthusiasm that you are clearly committing to the project, the study trip in February demonstrated the personal commitment many Soroptimists around the world have to creating a better world for women, families and children. All of these efforts are together directly transforming the lives of vulnerable women and children and giving them the means and confidence to plan for a positive future.
The Study Trip was an opportunity for Soroptimists from many different parts of the world to experience the conditions in Sierra Leone under which families and children are struggling not only to survive, but work for a positive future. Despite the difficult conditions, every project site we visited was a real celebration of partnership between Soroptimists and families and children. Although the poverty and deprivation are clear to see, the real joy and hope that the project is providing is equally obvious. The Paramount Chief in Kamakwie summed up the impact of Project SIerra when he said “Your presence here gives us confidence.” That gift of confidence, combined with the means and tools to build a better future is a huge achievement every Soroptimist can be rightly proud of.
On behalf of everyone at Hope and Homes for Children and the women, children and families we are working with in Sierra Leone, thank you so much for all you have done to help: for your compassion and your determination to ensure they have a real chance to carve out a brighter future for themselves, in spite of the challenges they have all lived through.
It has been such a promising start to our partnership and we are all very hopeful about how much Project SIerra can achieve over the next two and a half years."
This was sent with his warm wishes by Joe Glackin, HHC's Africa Programme Manager. Joe accompanied Soroptimists on the Study Tour.
For lots more information and resources on Project SIerra, see www.projectsierra.org
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