A few months ago, I got to do what I wanted to do for so long- I got to visit our sponsorship programme.
As one of our project managers I was sent to Sierra Leone together with our sponsorship coordinator/goddess Johanna and our vice president Alfred to evaluate our project “Save a Little Desert Flower” and bring back stories for our incredible group of sponsors.
After Sierra Leone was finally declared EBOLA- free we started planning our trip. 6 months and approximately 10 shots (yes 10!) later we were ready to get on our flight to Westafrica.
Together with our team from Sierra Leone we spent the next 10 days meeting with elders, parents, teachers and our Little Desert Flowers, but also hearing stories and seeing pictures that will stay with me forever.
Going on a programme trip is nothing like doing your job from home. One minute you spend discussing the project’s progress and minutes later you find yourself in the middle of 200 boys and girls exploring your camera and performing plays against FGM.
Visiting Sierra Leone, our girls and their families changed so many things for me.
While there is probably a never ending list of things, I want to at least share 4 important things I learned on our trip to Sierra Leone.
1 . The people of Sierra Leone are so generous- we couldn’t have asked for a better team!
I haven't met more generous and friendlier people than Sierra Leons! Despite everything they had to go trough, civil wars and recurring natural disasters and epidemics, the eyes of the people were full of joy and hope.
In Newton, the whole community got together to collect fruits and one chicken for us. I never received a chicken in my life, which they could probably tell by the look on our faces!
We named him Franz, but it didn’t help they prepared little Franz for a delicious dinner to share with us!
A special thanks goes out to our great team, who showed us around and supported us, when we got lost in certain situations (Neither Johanna or I every held a living chicken before)
2. SL is hot- like really hot !
Stepping out the plane I felt as if I was breathing trough a pitch wet towel- it was very humid and hot! After a few hours in Sierra Leone Johanna and I gave up and settled with “We won’t be looking like our normal selfs here, but it’s OK we are on a mission”.
3. Be patient or GO HOME : While back in our office we would stress, when something needs 10 minutes longer than usual, in Sierra Leone you can’t- you just can’t.
Everything takes longer and is probably done in a completely different way than back home. Relying on the electricity to work is a little adventure in Sierra Leone. When you are lucky enough to have a generator (and trust me most of them do not have the luck) you can be even more happy if you get an internet connection, let alone fast internet.
So everything takes longer: pictures of our Little desert Flower and their report cards will need a little bit longer to arrive and that’s ok because we learned patience : )!
4. The work we do and your support are SO important
On our trip we got to meet almost every Little Desert Flower of our sponsorship programme . We were able to hear their stories, filled with joy, but some of them also filled with pain.
Behind all the smiles they send us on their pictures, there are some devastating stories. Growing up in Sierra Leone, in one of the world’s poorest countries, isn’t really an easy one, especially as a girl.
Many of them had to face violence and poverty. Listening to their stories let me hold my breath and force myself not to cry, because I didn't have the right to cry, when all these strong girls are relying on our support!
Our project gives them hope! Hope to become someone with a future!
The tiniest effort YOU take here makes a huge difference over there and that’s why we need you!
I can only ask you to make a difference now and support our work and projects… for these thousands of girls who deserve the world!
