Around The World With Sara

TIDBITS OF LIFE

SIERRA LEONE 2014

Over the past couple of months there have been tidbits of life that have not been shared with you. Some billboards, village life, Freetown life among them.

One billboard said: “Smart Army Uses Condoms. Stay Combat ready!” Another advertises how to report corruption. But Sierra Leone was voted one of the most if not the most corrupt country in Africa in 2012! This morning on the radio the news report was about the 40,000,000SLL ($9,090.90) the army has spent but cannot account for. While $9,090.90 may not seem much to us for a government to squander, it is a huge amount here where average salaries are around $228.00 per month.

Soupy Skies

The Hamatan winds are over and a soupy sky hovers over Freetown. It is a colorless sky made up of smoke, exhaust and sand particles. The sun comes out, but not

Same Area Before Soupy Skies

really as it is hidden by the miasma. We would have warnings of bad air days, but here it is hardly noticed.

At one of the recent village visits a woman was picking out the bangar from the harvest off a palm oil tree. The bangar is edible as is, but must be chewed around the nut and juice sucked from the fiber before spitting out the remains on the ground. As we begin to eat and spit the

Bangar - Note Prickly Pieces Of Palm

Cleaning Palm Oil Nuts

chickens come rushing around to pick up the remains fighting over who gets what. I throw mine to the littlest ones in hopes they get their share. Palm oil is extracted from the bangar by a boiling process. I tried my hand at pulling off the red fruit nestled in the prickly portions of the palm bunch. Not only was it harder than it looked, I got stuck by the sharp needles of the palm. Ouch!

The first time I was going to visit the newest district where Fambul Tok is working called PuJehun we encountered small vans packed with people and goods driving in front of us along the road. Some had goods

Stacked and Stuffed

Will It Tip???

on the roof stacked so high I was sure the van would soon topple over when navigating the rough roads. When looking inside the vans as we passed them, I could see the people packed in like sardines and more goods smashed between them.

As always I delight in the children. In the following pictures notice one little fellow in the red and black striped shirt hopping back and forth so he can be in each “snap” I am taking.

Another meeting of all the staff members for Fambul Tok took place February 27-March 1. It was great to see everyone again and to be included in the proceedings. On March 1 we all met on the back verandah of the office in Freetown to practice the dialogs about the 2007 Gender and Child Rights Acts. The purpose was to share ideas about how to be most effective in presenting the material. Some came up with little dramas to

In The Conference Room

illustrate the do’s and don’ts of the various laws. Everyone agreed that this was the most effective way to achieve understanding and to keep the interest of the people. I even participated with an example of how to treat a child who wanted to go to school. First the don’t then the do.

It has been my observation presenting the Child Rights Act after the gender acts seemed to be not very effective nor listened to. After the controversy created by the laws surrounding domestic violence, sexual harassment, and devolution of estate, the attendees were so caught up in those subjects the Child Rights Act was given a short shrift. In my sounding board mode (that’s my position here according to John) I suggested presenting the Child Rights Act first.

There are still many burned out houses in the country side. When asked why they aren’t torn down or restored, the answer is a.) the family is all dead or moved away, or b.) there is no money to do the restoration, but leaving the remains there marks

Note Two Buildings Indicating a Large estate

ownership of the property. in Bombali in one of the villages visited most recently there was one house right after another sitting in the middle of the village surrounded by new construction. While the burned out houses are large and made of fancy cinder bricks, the new ones are small and are made from mud brick. This illustrates the lack of funds even 12 years after the end of the war.

Picture Hanging 101

Ceiling Stalagtights

Here is a picture of someone’s idea of where to hang a picture. Also one of MAJOR ceiling texturing. Both were taken inside my room at the new hotel in Bo.

And last , but not least. Here's a fellow who hopes his business will be blessed by using a religious phrase as part of the name. HMMMMM!!!!