SHOPPING IN SIERRA LEONE

For my final blog about Sierra Leone for this year I thought I’d take you on a shopping trip.  Sierra Leone has no malls, department stores or quaint little boutiques.  There is an attempt at creating a mall in Freetown, but it is nothing like we call a mall.  I couldn’t even figure out what door to get in to where the shops appeared to be!!!

Most of the shopping is done in small shack like places

Shack Shops

that line up side by side along the street.  In many cases you walk up to a board stretched across the opening at the front of the shack and point to what you want on the shelves behind.  The only larger walk-in stores are the supermarkets and appliance stores.  These are not owned by Sierra Leoneans, but mostly by Lebonese. 

You can find western dress but only in second hand stores that stock clothes from charitable donations or flawed runs of clothing and shoes.  Even these items are sold by the human mini markets carrying large tubs or baskets of items around the streets or into the villages.

Selling Breakfast

Sandwich Anyone?

The human mini market is the most common way to shop.  You can shop from your car as you are stuck in traffic or as you walk along the street.  They carry everything from padlocks and tools to hard boiled eggs, bread and fruits and veggies.  All kinds of clothing is available this way also including underwear and shoes.

When I was in a village recently I bought a pair of rubber sandals made in Cote D’Ivoire.  If you look closely, the stripping is faded in some areas and the finishing is not

Rubber Shoes

perfect.  But they were 8,000SLL or $1.85 and they are cute!!!  They’ll be great for the beach or as shower shoes.

One day I accompanied Micheala to pick up an order of office supplies in Freetown.  I figured we would park the car and walk into the store.  Wrong!  We parked the car, but we stayed in the car while the merchant came out to us from one of the shack type establishments I mentioned before and loaded up the back of the car with the order.

Shopping from the car is very common in Freetown and Up Country.  It’s loads of fun to pick your bananas, bene cakes, plantain chips, cashews, avocados, mangos,

Sunglass Shopping

or any other foods this way.  Not only are all types of food available, but I bought my sunglasses this way and the guys shopped for underwear while we waited for Micheala to do her banking.

Underwear  Shopping

Once when the men were shopping for trousers from a guy who came to the office, I asked how they knew what size to buy without trying them on.  I was told you take the waist of the pants as it is folded and buttoned and wrap it around your neck.  If it meets in the middle at the front of your neck that is the size of your waist.  For shoes you put the toe of the shoe at the breaking point of your wrist and if the end of the shoe hits the bend in your arm, it is the same size as your foot.  I tried the shoe thing with my own shoe. It works!

I suppose that progress will eventually do away with this way of life especially in the larger towns and cities as more modern buildings are erected and the streets

Shirts On The Streets

Street Selling

cleared of vendor selling.  The thought of this unique way of life disappearing is somewhat disheartening to me.

The only people who shop in the supermarkets are the wealthy locals or the expats.  Everyone else shops in large open air markets or along the street as mentioned above.  I loved shopping the way the locals do except for meat.  That I bought frozen in the supermarket.  Somehow buying fly specked meat left out in the open doesn’t appeal, but hey that’s just the American in me.

Some of you may be curious if am returning in 2015.  You bet I am; God willing/Inshallah.  

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara

BOMBALI HAPPENINGS PART TWO:

LAST ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA LEONE JUNE 2014

The next two activities with Fambul Tok revolved around Peace Mother meetings. The first took place in the Masongbo Section, Masongbo Village.  This section has earned a casava grinding machine as part of the “walk

Peace Mothers & Chairperson Masongbo

 side by side” program of rewarding sections who show great initiative and self help capabilities.  In this case the section has a very large casava farm and needs the grinder to preserve the casava for future sales.

The purpose of this meeting is to give guidance about planning for the use of the machine.  Joseph, team leader of Fambul Tok District Staff, kicked off the meeting by establishing the purpose and with suggestions of how they can use the machine to make money from other villages in the area who do not have a machine.

Joseph & Leader of Meeting

In this section the men are very active participants with the Peace Mothers thus one of the men leads the meeting instead of the Peace Mother Chair.  It was a lively meeting, but a little disjointed.  The Peace Mother Chairperson had some difficulty keeping the women focused.  She confided in Joseph that she felt overwhelmed by the job and was thinking about stepping down.  Joseph counciled her suggesting she wait until the upcoming elections for Peace Mother Chair and she agreed.

The next Peace Mother meeting was held in Masabong Section, Makanie Village.  The purpose of this meeting

Barrie 

was similar to the first one except this village was presented with a rice milling machine as a reward for success with their rice farming.

This is my third visit to this sectional meeting of the Peace Mothers.  This is the section that has a very successful revolving loan scheme started in 2011 with 750,000SLL. A scant three years later they now have 17,000,000SLL in their account and all the villages in the section have begun businesses using the revolving loan.

Gathering After Dancing

The difference in this meeting compared to the first is astonishing.  Joseph had no problem introducing the suggestions for making money with their machine nor with the purpose of the meeting.  These women are very well organized and already had an earnings goal for the first month the machine will be operational.

They also love to dance and I was in 7th heaven joining them in that activity.

Much Love To All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara

BOMBALI HAPPENINGS PART ONE:

LAST ACTIVITIES IN SALONE

JUNE 2014

On May 31 (OK not quite June) I attended my first School’s Bonfire & Oral History Presentation at Panlap Community JSS (Junior Secondary School).  As stated before, Fambul Tok is now in 5 schools in each of the 6 districts where they are active and have established Peace Clubs in each of these schools.

As part of the sensitization surrounding the history of the war for the students and the whole community, Fambul Tok is holding bonfires and oral history presentations in all of their schools. 

So Long To Mohamed

I left Freetown early on Friday, May 30 to drive to Makeni so I could attend the bonfire on the 31st.  Along the way I passed Mohamed’s (my African grandson from Kabala who is now in Freetown with his uncle) uncle’s house.  We stopped so I could say so long to Mohamed.  It was a poignant moment with both of us tearing up.  I will miss him, but we have Whatsapp, FaceBook, email and texting, so we will keep in touch!

Joseph Explaining Rules For Football Match

The first activity at the bonfire was a bonding football match between members of the school and even included two blind students from the nearby School for the Blind.  Yes, they played blind and you would never have guessed.  They asked me to kick off which I have done somewhat successfully before, but this time I totally missed the ball!!!

Second Team

After the match the bonfire ceremony began with introductions of the attending dignitaries including  Paramount Chief Massalye, who NEVER attends anything.  His attendance was quite a coup for Fambul Tok and shows the importance and success of the program.

Some of the Dignitaries

A young boy acting as an old man gave the oral history.  He was outstanding in his delivery.  His presentation took over 15 minutes and, as far I could tell, he didn’t muff or forget a thing.

Dancers representing the secret societies performed for us and a skit showing some of the

Secret Society Dancing

atrocities of the war was presented.  I must say I was a bit surprised when a young man pushed a young woman onto a bench and proceeded to pantomime raping her! 

The bonfire was lit with some difficulty resulting in a great deal of smoke, but once started became a huge blaze.  Then it rained!!!  Poured was more like it.  When it rains here it RAINS so hard you can hardly talk over the

Roaring Fire - Note the dark pre-rain sky 

din.

Once in Freetown and twice here in the guest house lightening struck the building.  Now THAT is a storm when you are blinded by the flash at the same time blasted by the noise of the thunder.  I, the thrill seeker, loved it!!!

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara

EBOLA IN SALONE

MAY, 2014

Because of the arrival of Ebola in a remote area of Sierra Leone, I was told I would not be able to travel up country for the last bit of my stay as originally planned.  Boy, was I bummed!!!  Then the US Consulate pulled through.  Nancy forwarded me the email from them concerning the situation.

Most of you may know the US is very conservative concerning the well being of their citizens while traveling or living abroad.  So I was delighted to discover they were not restricting travel, closing the embassy, pulling embassy personnel out of the country or any other such activities.  I  told myself this will be the ammunition to use to convince Fambul Tok to let me travel to Makeni in Bombali district.  I forwarded the consulate email to John and Eustacia, the two who made the decision to keep me in Freetown.  It worked!!!

For those curious follows is a copy of consulate’s bulletin:

U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone

Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Update on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

May 27, 2014

This is an update to the notice of April 7, 2014, in which we alerted U.S. citizens to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in neighboring Guinea. 

As of May 27, the Lassa Fever Laboratory at the Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone confirmed that there is one individual with the Ebola virus  and six suspected cases in Sierra Leone. The sample for the confirmed individual was collected from a patient in Koindu health post, Kailahun district (bordering Guinea). The individual with the Ebola virus and the other six who are suspected to have the Ebola virus are currently still alive. Reports of four fatalities due to the Ebola virus have not been confirmed.

                

The U.S. Department of State medical experts note that:

·         The suspect Ebola cases are in a remote area of Sierra Leone adjoining the areas in Guinea where the outbreak was first discovered. These additional cases in the region were not unexpected by scientists studying the outbreak. 

·         U.S. citizens (who are not Health Care Workers in the affected area) are considered at very low risk of EVD.

·         The suspected reservoirs for EVD are fruit bats.

·         EVD in humans is thought to be through contact with infected bats or primates (such as monkey, chimpanzees and gorillas) that have become infected by bats.

·         Undercooked infected bat and primate (bush) meat can transmit EVD to humans.

·         Human to human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and gravely ill from EVD or their body fluids.

·         EVD transmission among humans is almost exclusively among health care workers (or family members) who are providing care for the very ill with little or no infection control protection such as gloves. Handling and touching of the deceased from EVD has also been associated with secondary cases.

·         The virus is easily killed by contact with soap, bleach, sunlight, or drying. A washing machine will kill EVD in clothing saturated with infected body fluids.

·         A person can incubate EVD without symptoms for two to twenty-one days, the average being five to eight days before becoming ill. PERSONS ARE NOT CONTAGIOUS during this period.

·         Only when ill, does EVD load express itself first in the blood and then in other bodily fluids (to include vomit, feces, urine, breast milk, semen, and sweat).

·         If you are walking around you are not infectious to others.

·         There are documented cases from Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo of an EVD outbreak in a village that had the custom of children never touching an ill adult. Children living for days in small one room huts with parents who died from EVD did not become infected.

·         You cannot contract EVD by handling money, buying local bread, or swimming in a pool.

·         At this time, there is no medical reason to stop flights, close borders, restrict travel or close embassies, businesses or schools.

·         As always, practice good hand washing techniques. You will not contract EVD if you do not touch a dying person.

·         The U.S. Embassy is open for business as usual, including the consular section.

Since this bulleting came out there have been more confirmed cases and more deaths, BUT they still remain isolated in a very remote area close to the Guinea border.

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara

MIDWIFERY GRADUATION

MAKENI, SIERRA LEONE

Activities at Fambul Tok are winding down in anticipation of the rainy season that is just around the corner.  We had a taste of a typical storm a few Sundays ago.  It was so unique I had to video it.  All I can say is, it was fun to see, but I cannot imagine day after day of that kind of violent rain and wind.

My days are somewhat in a wait and see mode.  Micheala and Reverend are in the US for a special workshop for peace making organizations for almost the whole month of May.  They are two of the major players whose activities drive my visits up country.  Another major player, Sheku, is out recovering from surgery.  Thankfully, he is doing fine.  The Bonfires for this season have been completed (not too wonderful in the rain!!!).

Through Annerieke Owen I have met a wonderful dynamic woman by the name of Isha Daraway.  She is a retired nurse involved in reducing/eliminating infant and pregnancy mortality which is a huge problem here.  Using what funding she can wangle out of the government, donations and much of her own money she has built clinics that are available for pregnant women to come stay towards the end of their term until the baby is born.  These women live in remote villages where many babies and mothers die in child birth due to lack of sanitation and medical help.

She is also very involved and an important part of the new (2010) Midwifery School located in Makeni in the district of Bombali.  At dinner last Wednesday night she asked if I would like to accompany her to witness the graduation at the school and visit one of her clinics.  I jumped at the chance.

We left Freetown last Friday afternoon for Port Loko District and the town of Lunsar where we will spend the night.  She was born in this district and still has many relatives living there.  We stopped to visit one of her aunts who was not well, and to pick up our dinner which we took to the next relative’s house; one of her nephews’.

Isha has her own room in this house she keeps under lock and key when she is not there.  This is where she will stay.  We shared the dinner with the many children and adults after which I was taken to a close by guest house.

The guest house is new within the past 6 months and was very lovely.  The bed in the room, actually the whole room, was painted pink and white.  I felt I was staying in a young girl’s fantasy princess room.  

The next morning we set out for Makeni and once there stopped to see another aunt, Madam Bomposseh,n’Silk.  This woman is still a powerful woman even though her 79th birthday is just around the corner.  She is a chief, was educated in California, and was married to a very powerful paramount chief.  In July 1975 15dignitaries who were thought to be forming a coupe against the then president Sikia Stevens, were executed, burned and buried in a secret place.  Her husband was one of those executed.  She told the story as she pointed to a picture on the wall of an extremely handsome man.

We had a delightful visit with her.  She insisted I stay with her the next time I am in Makeni and I think I will take her up on that if I go back with Fambul Tok before I leave for home.  She will have so many stories to tell about the political environment of old as well as currently.

One of Isha’s nephew’s little girls named Hadja came

Hadja

with us to the graduation.  Here is a picture of her

wearing a bracelet made by Sarah Mufson.  Isha was seated at the high table so Hadja and I sat down in the 3rd row for the 6 hours it took to graduate 59 students!!!  Except for the one hour she took a nap in my lap, she was content to stay with me quietly the whole time!  As much as I love all of my grandchildren, I cannot think of one of them who could sit like that.

The reason the ceremony was so long was due to the protocol and the repeated acknowledgment of the dignitaries at the high table.  Out of the 6 hours only

Isha is middle back row - High Table

about 1 to 1 1/2 was dedicated to handing out awards and certificates to the graduating midwives.  Sadly, most of the dignitaries making “statements” (really speeches) said the same thing just in different ways.  On the way home Isha said she will have a graduation ceremony postmortem and has many suggestions on ways to pare down the time.

One highlight of the day was a skit put on by the 2015 graduating class.  It depicted a situation where the husband forbade his pregnant wife to go to the hospital to deliver the baby.  He said the money was too great and the distance too far.  The wife and baby both died under the conditions in the village.  Then another woman did go to the hospital under the care of a midwife and the delivery resulted in a healthy baby and mother.

After the graduation ceremony we attended a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open a new hospital located on the grounds of the school.  At this time the midwives are sent to the field in remote areas without any hands on clinical experience.  This is less than ideal as you can imagine.  The new hospital will change all that and thus is a huge addition to the curriculum.

Next was a stop at Isha’s clinic in a village outside of Lunsar in Port Loko district.  There are no women there at the moment and it was a Saturday so it wasn’t open for everyday appointments.  The resident nurse gave me the tour.  It is a large facility that has three rooms with 6 beds each for housing the mothers to be.  There is also a clinic where people can come for medical care.  The place was spotless and very inviting.  I was so impressed.

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara