News 2010 - August

Dear Friends of Sierra Leone.

We have had good news in the last week. The container of goods ranging from books, musical instruments, car repair kits, bicycles, second hand computers and sewing machines has safely passed through customs in Freetown and has reached David Sandi in Kono, Sierra Leone. Thanks to all of you who contributed and in particular to "tools with a mission" (www.twam.co.uk) who made it possible by bringing everything together. The 12 tonne container left the twam warehouse in Ipswich in mid May and to have been safely piloted through customs in Sierra Leone in less than 4 months is something of a record.

The administration of the container will be managed by David Sandi of Ahkom (www.ahkom.info) and many of the goods will be used within the Ahkom school and vocational centre. Some educational items for younger children will go to the 2 junior schools we support in the Kono region at Maima and Meicheta.

The schools in Kono are coming on well reports Pastor Yatta: "At Meicheta school, Bogalow, where Sister Margaret is head-teacher we have grown to 309 pupils. One good thing is that people are sending their daughters to school and this is becoming increasingly evident. St Andrews school, Maima is also growing. 269 children attended this year. 9 took the NPSC this May and we are hoping that they will pass. They would be the second set to enter secondary school from St. Andrews.

Kono is an area of some of the worst atrocities committed by "child soldiers" and recently hit the news headlines as Naomi Campbell gave evidence at the Hague to the "war crimes" trial of the former Liberian President Charles Taylor (www.sc-sl.org). The photos of illegal diamond operations at http://www.ahkom.info/news act as a reminder of the huge resources in this region which need to be harnessed for the benefit of the community at large.

We wish Holly and Sam well on their imminent departure to Sierra Leone. Holly and Sam are students who will spend the next month of their summer vacation working with Pastor Yatta Samura’s various ministries including sports, education and church. We wish them a safe trip and look forward to their news and photos of the work in Sierra Leone that many of you are supporting.

Meanwhile 2 members of our congregation (Nic and Vicky Russell) recently completed the 55 Mile Oxford Green Belt Way to raise funds for Sierra Leone schools. When asked "why"? Vicky says:

"I went to Sierra Leone in November 2005 with a small group from St Andrews and Christians in Sport. I was moved by the plight of the people there: the poverty and the pain that they had suffered a result of the civil war. Despite their circumstances we were made so welcome and they shared their food with us, what little they had. There was such a sense of community despite the circumstances. The women were so dignified and appeared from corrugated huts with mud floors, so smart in their brightly coloured clothes. The children so overjoyed to be attending school and so proud to have their own matching uniform (when they could). I have already raised some money for a women’s project in the capital, Freetown. I would now like to raise some money to extend the schools that have been funded by members of St Andrews church" If you would like to sponsor Nic and Vicky then do go to http://www.justgiving.com/oxwalk

As you will see from our support page at http://www.c3m.info/support we have a budget of £17,500 for 2010 to support the schools and churches in Sierra Leone. Your support is very much appreciated and is not taken for granted. However if you can continue to help in whatever way is possible then that will be very much appreciated by Pastor Yatta, his team in Sierra Leone as well as the teachers and pupils at Bogalow and Maima schools.

Yours sincerely

Richard Bayfield