For some of the food we had, see next blog.
The beach
Looking towards Cape Sierra
Monday, 15 March 2010
Lumley Beach
5 kms of beach on the West side of Freetown. Almost deserted, with a road running along its length and several restaurants and bars. After looking at the centre of Freetown, some of us had a paddle, a stroll on the beach and an enjoyable meal - which came to over one million Leones for 14 people! Le1million is around £172. This is what it looks like!
Favourite memories and impressions
This is the end of what I was wanting to say, so if you are reading from the top, it should be in the right order.
Favourite memory is the culmination of the healthcare teaching, when the groups were about to start their presentations. They were all enthusiastic and this made it very exciting and worthwhile. Just at this moment there was a cry of, "there's someone from 91 Mile". I just knew it must be Alris. I had last seen him as a small boy coming in from school about twenty years ago. Didn't have much to do with him since, but Ruth had. She had supported him through school and university, but they had never met. She wasn't sure if they were going to meet this time, and there had been rumours that he had not spent the money on medical education but on a drug fuelled lifestyle. But here he was, and just about to qualify as a doctor. I began to see that heaven really was coming to earth.
Finally I was pleased to see how the leadership and the people were very happy to accept practical teaching with outcomes that they could continue to work on. This will become the norm in the future I am sure.
Favourite memory is the culmination of the healthcare teaching, when the groups were about to start their presentations. They were all enthusiastic and this made it very exciting and worthwhile. Just at this moment there was a cry of, "there's someone from 91 Mile". I just knew it must be Alris. I had last seen him as a small boy coming in from school about twenty years ago. Didn't have much to do with him since, but Ruth had. She had supported him through school and university, but they had never met. She wasn't sure if they were going to meet this time, and there had been rumours that he had not spent the money on medical education but on a drug fuelled lifestyle. But here he was, and just about to qualify as a doctor. I began to see that heaven really was coming to earth.
Alris and Ruth
A great team. When you advertise a trip like this, you don't know who will come. We had a great combination of people, who got on very well and went out of their way to help each other. There were people with strong medical knowledge and experience sharing with those of us who were limited in our understanding.
Linden. Even with this group, she managed to look calm and collected at all times and was the inspiration behind all we were doing. Her insights as to the way forward have already been invaluable to myself as well as the leaders out there.
Linden sharing her observations with (R to L) Samuel, Alpha and Ted
Family. Great to have my daughter, Grace, and nephew, Samuel with me. Even better that they both loved it and want to come back as soon as practicable. Both have skills and personalities that God will use in the future. So proud of the pair of them.
Grace, with Sarah Frost behind her, wearing Swindale House colours (red) and surrounded by children. In her element! Has a lot she can share with the young girls.
Sam enjoying his first lobster at restaurant on Lumley Beach. It was on 6th March, camera date is wrong.
Sam had a great time, and contributed leadership, enthusiasm and a measure of understanding to the team. He was asking the right questions and picked up important points!
Which brings me on to another memory - Food. The sea food we had was fantastic. The tourist trade could be built on this!
Also at Lumley Beach I had this great prawns in garlic sauce dish. Maybe not everyone's taste, but I loved it. Also liked the local soft drink, Maltina, but failed to make any converts.
Finally I was pleased to see how the leadership and the people were very happy to accept practical teaching with outcomes that they could continue to work on. This will become the norm in the future I am sure.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Home - Safe and Sound!
It's all over until the next time! Eleven tired team members arrived back at Heathrow last Monday morning 8th March. It had been a great experience for all of us. Ten had been to Sierra Leone for the first time, many will want to go back.
This is a good time to meet them.
This is a good time to meet them.
Front. L to R. Sarah Frost (Paediatrician), Ruth McArthur (former teacher),Anne-Marie Gunter (Civil Servant), Grace Swindale (Health & Social Care Student, UCLAN), Linden Boothby (Healthcare Leader from Links International), Margaret Lansdall-Welfare (G.P. in Nottingham), Richard Lansdall-Welfare (Psychologist in Nottingham) Pastor Samuel Kargbo (NEEDEP P:rogramme Director)
Back: L to R: Albert Lebbie (NEEDEP Treasurer), Ted Swindale (NEEDEP Co-ordinator UK),
Alpha Kargbo (NEEDEP Development and Education Director), Andy Meek (Systems Analyst RR)
Suzie Marshall (Nurse, Derby Royal Hospital), Samuel Warwick (Healthcare Assistant DRH).
Thursday, 25 February 2010
What are you going to be doing in Freetown?
We are about to go to Sierra Leone and looking forward to it. The team of eleven flies out on Sunday, 28th February and returns a week later to arrive at Heathrow on Monday morning, 8th March. I am the only one to have been in the country before. We have a busy week and believe that the Community Health Care Programme that we shall share could begin to transform the health of the communities taking part. It has done so elsewhere in Africa.
Nelson Mandela was so impressed with the reports he heard that he asked for the programme to be taken to his home village in South Africa.
Linden Boothby, the leader of the programme, has recently been to Malawi where a participant wrote, "The workshop was an eye opener. We discovered that we can influence our community to follow preventive measures against most of our killer diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, dysentery just to mention a few. As we were discussing we recognised the need of concentrating on sanitation in our community, and we agreed that sanitation will be our starting point. Our mind set has completely changed towards our community. The fact that we have a role to play in our community cannot be emphasised enough. This workshop was worth attending!"
The Malawi report quotes Chief Chapsinja, ‘The training was timely. I will ensure that my community is practicing good health practices. In our country Chiefs are keys to the community, that is why I personally attended the training. I am convinced that the training is good so I will personally teach my fellow chiefs in their monthly meeting and work closely with the Village Development Committee to ensure that what we have learnt is being put into practice. I want my village to be a model village.’
What will we be teaching on? Whatever the groups decides are their priorities, so we don't know till we get there, but we have a team of dedicated people, including many with medical qualifications, Psychiatrist, General Practitioner, Paediatrician, Nurse, Health Care Assistant and a Health and Social Care Student.
The programme takes around 4 days to present, after which the leaders and influencers present will have workable ideas to share with their communities.We hope some of the team will return several times in future years to help with the implementation and give extra support. A major thrill for me is that I shall have my younger daughter, Grace, with me for this trip and also my nephew, Samuel Warwick. Sam featured in the last post and is now setting us all a shining example of committment.
Friday is the School Sports Day. A major event in the yearly calendar and great fun. There are four houses in competition against each other. I should be impartial, but I think I will be supporting Swindale House.
On the Saturday I hope we shall be visiting parts of Freetown, a market and a Beach. After the service on Sunday in Wellington, it will be time to say farewell as we take the ferry back to Lungi Airport. We hope to report amazing things on our return.
Nelson Mandela was so impressed with the reports he heard that he asked for the programme to be taken to his home village in South Africa.
Linden Boothby
Linden Boothby, the leader of the programme, has recently been to Malawi where a participant wrote, "The workshop was an eye opener. We discovered that we can influence our community to follow preventive measures against most of our killer diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, dysentery just to mention a few. As we were discussing we recognised the need of concentrating on sanitation in our community, and we agreed that sanitation will be our starting point. Our mind set has completely changed towards our community. The fact that we have a role to play in our community cannot be emphasised enough. This workshop was worth attending!"
The Malawi report quotes Chief Chapsinja, ‘The training was timely. I will ensure that my community is practicing good health practices. In our country Chiefs are keys to the community, that is why I personally attended the training. I am convinced that the training is good so I will personally teach my fellow chiefs in their monthly meeting and work closely with the Village Development Committee to ensure that what we have learnt is being put into practice. I want my village to be a model village.’
Teaching taking place in Malawi
Linden was in Tanzania last December. She described her first meeting there. "We started this session carefully feeling our way, being very sensitive to local issues and local culture. “What makes you feel unhappy when you wake in the morning”, we asked and out it all poured! Relationship breakdown, wife beating, unfaithfulness, children dying, female circumcision, child marriages, HIV/AIDS, diarrhoea, alcoholism, malnutrition and so much more. When the group prioritised the issues, it clearly showed that they wanted us to start teaching on Family Matters."
What will we be teaching on? Whatever the groups decides are their priorities, so we don't know till we get there, but we have a team of dedicated people, including many with medical qualifications, Psychiatrist, General Practitioner, Paediatrician, Nurse, Health Care Assistant and a Health and Social Care Student.
The programme takes around 4 days to present, after which the leaders and influencers present will have workable ideas to share with their communities.We hope some of the team will return several times in future years to help with the implementation and give extra support. A major thrill for me is that I shall have my younger daughter, Grace, with me for this trip and also my nephew, Samuel Warwick. Sam featured in the last post and is now setting us all a shining example of committment.
Grace (right) with her elder sister, Kate
Friday is the School Sports Day. A major event in the yearly calendar and great fun. There are four houses in competition against each other. I should be impartial, but I think I will be supporting Swindale House.
Swindale House
On the Saturday I hope we shall be visiting parts of Freetown, a market and a Beach. After the service on Sunday in Wellington, it will be time to say farewell as we take the ferry back to Lungi Airport. We hope to report amazing things on our return.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Going, Going, GONE!
It has happened at last. What a day for a haircut!. Sliding our way through freshly fallen snow to church, we praised God, were prayed over as a team before we fly to Sierra Leone on the 28th February, and at the end of the meeting a crowd watched Samuel Warwick set a shining example of grit and determination as he lost his hair in a good cause. In this case raising funds to allow him to see first hand the health problems resulting from poverty and ignorance in the world's poorest country, and learn how to do something about it.
What do you want off?
A bit of help is offered
Nearly done!
The result - It suits you was the general verdict.
Our thanks go to Tim, professional hairdresser from"The Cutting Club" in Alvaston, Derby, for doing a super job, not just in the hair care department but also for working the crowd for extra support! Thanks, it was great!
Also to Lucy of the Derby Evening Telegraph who suggested the poses and took enough photos for a
Special Edition.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Hair today and gone tomorrow!
My nephew, Samuel Warwick, is raising money for his visit to Freetown by having his glorious mop of hair shaved off.
The event will take place at the Riverside Centre in Derby at 12.30pm on Sunday, 21st Feb.
If you are around at the time there may even be the opportunity to help!
Walls going up for Secondary School
At Christmas my wife gave me a Project Book, "250 pages of Premium Quality writing paper". This was supposed to replace all the scraps of paper on which I had written notes, reminders or details of phone messages and which litter my desk. I am learning to use it.
On 11th January I see I entered "Alpha. needs another £500 to get walls finished." And also noted that the Government will pay for two teachers in the Primary School from end of January. Originally I understood that they would pay for three, but there is not enough money. Still £112 for two each month is a good start. Money needs to be prayed in for the remainder of the teachers salaries, for aspects of the Healthcare trip and for the building work. I am learning to trust God more in this.
Anyway a friend in our church said he would like to give me a gift as a result of reading this blog. Great, I thought, expecting perhaps £25 or at the most £50. Last Sunday, he said "I've got a cheque for you."
There it was £500. wow! I have just looked back through the blog. Does it ever specifically mention the need for £500? No, but God put it into his servant's heart to get it just right! Thank you, Lord.
It's the roof next!!!!!!
On 11th January I see I entered "Alpha. needs another £500 to get walls finished." And also noted that the Government will pay for two teachers in the Primary School from end of January. Originally I understood that they would pay for three, but there is not enough money. Still £112 for two each month is a good start. Money needs to be prayed in for the remainder of the teachers salaries, for aspects of the Healthcare trip and for the building work. I am learning to trust God more in this.
Anyway a friend in our church said he would like to give me a gift as a result of reading this blog. Great, I thought, expecting perhaps £25 or at the most £50. Last Sunday, he said "I've got a cheque for you."
There it was £500. wow! I have just looked back through the blog. Does it ever specifically mention the need for £500? No, but God put it into his servant's heart to get it just right! Thank you, Lord.
It's the roof next!!!!!!
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