I didn't write this but the Director of the Extra Mile program sent it out as a newsletter this week. It made me miss Sierra Leone a lot, and I figured he wouldn't mind if I posted it.
Anyone that wants to contribute a few $ to help buy the Goderich schools some laptops feel free to PayPal my way!
From Mike:
News from Sierra Leone Feb/March 2012:
Greetings from
West Africa with some black magic, late arrivals and a short paddle in the sea!
Ibrahim Fatimah was an excellent head of 'Modern Secondary School', Freetown.
Pupils and staff alike loved the man. So, when he died, suddenly, last year,
there was great sadness and surprise. Otherwise healthy and at 47 years old,
his life hardly spent; his death raised many questions. During the following
year the school standards slipped alarmingly under the leadership of the
deputy. Discipline ceased and a new head was called in to rescue this once
prestigious institution. Within a month the new head was taken seriously ill
with a stroke at 51. Not surprisingly the Ministry is not finding it easy to
find a second replacement, especially with a very strong suspicion that black
magic is at work here and with the deputy thought to be the leading suspect.
Meanwhile the school continues to decline. Not sure if that circumstance
figures in the Ofsted inspection manual!
When I shipped
two barrels of goods from UK to Sierra Leone in late January 2012 I hardly
expected to still be waiting on the 8th. March. After six weeks
waiting for a two week delivery I finally got the barrels late on the evening
before my flight home to UK. In a mad four hours the following morning,
clothes, bibles, hymn books, laptops and textbooks were all delivered, almost
all to the right people. Not sure who was pleased most, the churches who got
the clothes or the young street girls who got the bibles! The schools did get
their laptops – so thanks to our very generous benefactors.
After the manic
morning of late deliveries I just made it onto the water taxi to the airport. A
twenty minute crossing with big waves splashing the full complement of sixteen
passengers later seemed the easy part of the trip. On the north shore beach the
water was so rough the taxi dropped us off into the shallows. After emptying
our pockets we waded waist deep or piggy-backed the staff to get ashore and
onto the bus to the airport. Soggy but safe, no, of course no refunds were
offered! All part of the rich tapestry of life out here.
09.03.12
Greetings from a very hot and very dusty Sierra
Leone with a petrol baby, wheel clamping and a case of mistaken identity.
Running on empty as usual last Sunday hoping to
find an open filling station. There, lined up were four amber, plastic, gallon
bottles of petrol, the pumps behind long-since ceased to dispense. A young
dreadlock rasta with a tiny baby in his arms trying to pour. 'A de fo hold de
picken?' I ask. 'Sure maan'. So cuddling a tiny, four month old baby, limp in
my arms whilst he filled the tank. 'She no well?' I ask, seeing her grey,
bloodshot eyes which should have been sparkling ebony and white. 'Malaria and
typhoid'. he said as he poured the last bottle. 'A sorrio'. This is so common
for young babies, most of whom do not survive their first year without
treatment. I pay the petrol and return the child with a few thousand leones for
treatment. 'God greet you maan'. 'And you both too'. I say as I depart. Poverty
stills kills here in Sierra Leone.
Just a quick park on Goderich Street last week. A
four minute shop, including a three minute 'haggle' over the price for a jeep
cover to keep the dust off the vehicle whilst I'm away, and a rapid return.
Only to find my number in the book and the front wheel firmly clamped with
chains. 'You no plead, you too late, de booking done done'. The officer said.
'But I only park for four minutes officer'. 'You park illegally!!'. There is
little point in arguing that there are no signs to show where its fine and
where its illegal, so I part with Le 100.000 (about 16 GBP) and ask for a
receipt on next tomorrow as I recall the le 30.000 I saved when I haggled with
the shopkeeper. Rough justice eh?
In 2007, at Educaid we had fifteen Ibrahim Mohammed
Kamara's in the school, five in the same class! So we had to number them
Ibrahim Mohammed Kamara 1 - to - 15. It just so happened that this last month
the Deputy Minister of Education's nephew one Ibrahim Mohammed Kamara (not from
Educaid), had applied successfully for a scholarship to study in the USA. All
was duly approved and last week he was summoned to the Dean and presented with
the award. Unfortunately the University of Sierra Leone got the wrong I. M.
Kamara and try as they might to take back the scholarship from the student, the
local media were alerted and he stood firm, having even better credentials than
the deputy minister's nephew. The Deputy Minister and the University were
powerless to reverse the decision, so he has now set up an alternative
scholarship and you can bet who might possibly get that. Unless that is the
university 'fouls' up yet again.
That's all for this week, take care wherever you
are, 22.02.12
Just
catching up with you from Sierra Leone, with a small crash, yet another
puncture and a two hour traffic jam.
On a day when the searing heat drains every drop
from your body I slow and grab a roadside drink whilst the young girl of about
seven chases me for the money. I stop to let her catch up but before I could
pay her my glasses are wrenched off and the money spills out of the car. A
passing vehicle 'ploughs' into the back of the jeep. Another dent; I've stopped
counting now. The whole front wing 'stove in' of the other jeep, no blame, I
don't ask for compensation unless its really serious and nobody's insurance
gives any payback. As I returned from Freetown earlier this week, following in
the massive, red dust cloud of a huge excavation truck a herd of maybe 20 young
goats, spooked by the truck darted across the road in front of me. I braked and
turned almost full circle in the dust and gravel. As I drive on I hear
shouts......'you done get flat, driver'. As I stop I'm surrounded by 20 youths
excited about felling a nearby palm tree, chanting...'where di jack?.... where
di spare?......where di spannas?'. 'Sorry guys a no wan you for help'....unless
of course I don't mind losing all the tools in thirty seconds 'flat'! Just a
little, bristled, moslem, shopkeeper who came over and began to help. 'Me a no
pay you' I say. 'A jus wan blessing fo me happiness'.....'Just give me a
blessing and I'll be happy'. I find out where he lives and promise to visit him
next time I'm around. As we 'crawled from the city centre up Hillcot Rise and
past the barracks, a few metres at a time. The evening heat, calm but sapping,
red lights forming a thread of stationary beads and the occasional mad hooting
as vehicles try to overtake each other to gain a precious place in the ever
lengthening queue. There must be a serious accident ahead, but it took us
another ninety minutes to find out that in the centre of Lumley thousands of
people had spilled out across all the main roads to watch a new, massive video
screen featuring all their music artist videos. The local police had retired
for the night so every driver had to navigate through 50 deep crowds. Thank
goodness no one was injured, no one lost except a few mightily tried tempers.
Another week in the life of Salone, enjoy your week at home wherever you
are.
29.02.12
