I have been back now for a couple of months. Everything seems so different, the fact that when i switch on the lightswitch there is actually light. And same with the taps, when i turn them on, running water comes out rather than going down the street to fill up a bucket.
I am still trying to fundraise for Jimiyke to get him to the UK. We are sorting out all the paperwork and found out that the treatment will cost in the region of £12,000 to £20,000 so please go on the just giving website and give what you can.
www.justgiving.com/abkappeal
I just wanted to say thankyou to everyone that has donated so far towards Jimiykes appeal and EducAid, it has had a big impact on the charity which means now that they do not have to cut back on staff/students.
Also i want to say thankyou to everyone that donated software and hardware, i wouldn't of been able to set up the IT room without the donations i had.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Branching out!
Will and I started an after school football competition today. We put up a notice about it and talked to all the classes and we were quite shocked when it came to the first session to find that 150 had signed up!
It was mad! Sierra Leoneans love football like no-one else and they take it more seriously than anyone else too! There were no fights but it seemed like it might come close. We had to stop one match but in general it went really well.
We tried to get the girls involved but that is quite a new idea in Sierra Leone - girl footballers. We have four teams of girls though so we have decided to have a girls' league separately from the boys. The boys are too rough by far.
I am knackered now but it was great fun.
I don't think we will give up the day job though!
Monday, 15 June 2009
a day in school
I saw this video on YouTube from December 2007 and thought it might be of interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26JaowQRi6A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26JaowQRi6A
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
hair update!
I keep getting messages about putting photos up on the blog of me doing stuff here, so everyone can believe I am really here!
So..... here it is. This is me with Jimiyke [my most diligent and enthusiastic student!] in the IT room. As you can see the hair is coming back gradually. In fact while I am here it is quite convenient because of the heat, but I don't think I will be doing it again like that in a hurry! Unless anyone pays me of course!
Will, some friends and I have just finished putting a short fundraising film together. To view it, simply click on this link (if your computer doesn't have Quicktime, you will be prompted to download it - don't worry, it's safe) http://www.schedule2.com/educaid/educaid.mov
Friday, 5 June 2009
the day to day ups and downs.........
Pictures of Number 2 River and beach and........... the EducAid kitchen!
Had a great weekend away at the beach last weekend for half term. Fantastic beach but not really available to most Sierra Leoneans as it is quite expensive. We couldn’t stay as long as we wanted to for that reason but it was great while it lasted. It will make swimming in the cold grey English sea not seem the treat it once was!
Now back at the office…….the multitude of viruses that we managed to get onto all the computers while downloading the network software have now been cleared and we have the firewalls up and running again. It does seem like an endless battle.
Proper IT classes started again yesterday!
Meanwhile the day-to-day challenges carry on – I still can’t eat the pepper sauce that goes on everything! So I am living on bread and pasta. I’m going to look like a packet of spaghetti soon.
We are working hard on the visa for Jimiyke now. He has finished his exams and knows what the score is. Because of his condition, he has been living up with us so I have really got to know him. I am teaching him to use the computer and telling him about life in the UK. We are really desperate for him to get the visa. It would be terrible if he doesn’t. We have submitted the online application and are just collecting the support documents from the doctors etc for his interview on 15th June.
Friday, 29 May 2009
Further back up for the appeal on You Tube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOirYSBwyE0 .
Friends of EducAid, Huw and Ollie have made a film and posted this link on You tube in support of our ABK appeal.
I can't view it from here because the connection is so slow but I am told it is good.
Feel free to let me know what you think!
Monday, 25 May 2009
The past week
The view to the front of the school and sunrise to the back. This is the view I get up to when I am up in time!
Living in Sierra Leone is a bit like being on a roller coaster - I find myself going up and down all the time - it has been an extraordinary week...
My friends in Magbeni saw a minibus bang into a 8 year old boy - it did not even brake to see if he was ok. Unfortunately he was in a bad way and there are no ambulances - they did what they could to help, paying for a taxi to a hospital and for some treatment, but do not think they managed to save his life. On the way back from Magbeni Moses and I saw another injured young boy lying at the side of the road with a crowd of people around him, but if we had decided to stop and help, if something had gone wrong, they were likely to blame us.
The next day one of the teachers lost his 1 month old baby and we were so hit by the reality of the poverty here - he had been so proud of his son, born on Independence Day, and then to lose him like that left us feeling so helpless. Also, his wife is now seriously ill, and if anything happens to her, I am worried he will fall to pieces.
The next day one of the other teachers had his house broken into by armed robbers and they cleared it of everything!
The same day we heard from Magbeni that the women's project classroom had been blown off by a very serious storm that had blown up - that is what happens at the beginning of the rainy season it seems!
The vice president's driver met Moses and me in a bar on Saturday and offered to take us to his house to meet the vice presidents mother - I found myself wondering whatever I was doing there and also why he was interested in taking some 16 year old foreigner to his home - he was very friendly though and we had a nice enough time
On Saturday though, someone I had started to think of as a real friend and whose story had shocked me beyond belief, seemed to have stolen my camera - now the investigation is on and he is denying it all and I so hope he is proved innocent. Moses has been talking to me about being able to forgive him, even if he did do it and I am finding it so hard because of the trust I thought was there. On the other hand, as Moses has been saying to me, his life has been so bad that he sometimes still struggles to do the right thing and maybe I should have not put temptation in his way. At the moment though I really do not know what to think.......
My friends in Magbeni saw a minibus bang into a 8 year old boy - it did not even brake to see if he was ok. Unfortunately he was in a bad way and there are no ambulances - they did what they could to help, paying for a taxi to a hospital and for some treatment, but do not think they managed to save his life. On the way back from Magbeni Moses and I saw another injured young boy lying at the side of the road with a crowd of people around him, but if we had decided to stop and help, if something had gone wrong, they were likely to blame us.
The next day one of the teachers lost his 1 month old baby and we were so hit by the reality of the poverty here - he had been so proud of his son, born on Independence Day, and then to lose him like that left us feeling so helpless. Also, his wife is now seriously ill, and if anything happens to her, I am worried he will fall to pieces.
The next day one of the other teachers had his house broken into by armed robbers and they cleared it of everything!
The same day we heard from Magbeni that the women's project classroom had been blown off by a very serious storm that had blown up - that is what happens at the beginning of the rainy season it seems!
The vice president's driver met Moses and me in a bar on Saturday and offered to take us to his house to meet the vice presidents mother - I found myself wondering whatever I was doing there and also why he was interested in taking some 16 year old foreigner to his home - he was very friendly though and we had a nice enough time
On Saturday though, someone I had started to think of as a real friend and whose story had shocked me beyond belief, seemed to have stolen my camera - now the investigation is on and he is denying it all and I so hope he is proved innocent. Moses has been talking to me about being able to forgive him, even if he did do it and I am finding it so hard because of the trust I thought was there. On the other hand, as Moses has been saying to me, his life has been so bad that he sometimes still struggles to do the right thing and maybe I should have not put temptation in his way. At the moment though I really do not know what to think.......
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