RIP Ramatu

I have some sad news - Ramatu, the girl we found abandoned in Kissy way back in 2008 passed away earlier this year.

 

She moved to a new home in September 2013, and did seem to be doing better - but while I was on a break in the UK in April she took a turn for the worse and died.

 

She had such a sad, sad life.....she was abandoned by her mother because of her epilepsy, then she was diagnosed with sickle cell. Many people were scared of her because of her seizures.

For the past few years she has been unable to walk and her speech was quite slurred so she had difficulty making herself understood.

She had to leave school because she just wasn't well enough to attend.

 

She loved biscuits and cherryade.......I miss her.....

 

Rest in perfect peace Ramatu xx

 

 

This photo was the last time I saw Ramatu

 

Remembrance Day Service

 

 

I was honoured to be invited, along with the current team of volunteers to the Remembrance Day Service held at the Cenotaph in Freetown. We were seated with the press in prime position to watch the ceremony. We started off in the shade, but as the sun climbed higher into the sky we ended up sitting in the blazing sun, and although we were quite hot and bothered by the end we all enjoyed the event and were very pleased to have been able to be part of it.

 

We watched the various dignitaries arrive, including the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma. Once everyone was in attendance the ceremony started with Muslim Prayers, followed by a Christian Serivce led by my friend the Forces Chief Chaplain Lt Colonel MEA Kargbo and his team - his message was very well received. After the two minutes silence we had the wreath laying ceremony.

 

After the service I was honoured to be able to meet the Minister for Social Welfare and the Chief Justice, who invited me along to a training course she is setting up for the youth of Sierra Leone, which I'm very excited about. We also met the military attaché for the British consulate.

 

Later we spent the afternoon at the beach which was a great way to cool off after such a hot morning.

 

These photos show the arrival of the President, The President laying his wreath and Forces Chief Chaplain Lt Colonel MEA Kargbo

 

 

 

 



Soaking and a Sunset

I'm still in Sierra Leone with Mission Direct. I currently have a team of 8 volunteers from the UK over working at the Nehemiah Project painting walls and laying a new floor.

 

I have my lovely friend Adele here working here with me and together we make up the staff team.

 

When Adele and I were preparing for the team last week we went to check out possible locations for the team debrief. We ended up at China Town in Lumley, where we shared a couple of star beers as we chatted over the day. As we sat there under the thatched umbrellas the sky got slowly darker and darker, until eventually the heavens opened. We decided to sit it out as we thought it would pass quite quickly. Soon the umbrellas were letting the rain through and we were soaked to the skin and the rain was so hard we could barely stand up to run for cover. There were three men and the waiter taking cover by crouching behind the bar, so we had to convince them to shove up to make room for us too. Eventually there was a break in the rain and we were able to make a dash for the vehicle, but by that time EVERYTHING was soaked! The photo of us doesn't do justice to just how wet we were.

 

 

We then headed to the Atlantic bar and restaurant for a meal where we wrung out our clothes out as best we could. While we enjoyed our meal the storm resumed and continued as we ate and chatted into the evening and we were treated to this wonderful sunset.

 

 



 

Ground Breaking at Waterloo

We have a team in country at the moment and we were all invited to the ground breaking ceremony at the AHS SDA Hospital in Waterloo for the new ward that will be build next year.

 

It was a very nice ceremony with the doctor and staff of the hospital, local chiefs, the president of AHS, Mission Direct, headmaster from the SDA school and people from the local community.

 

I was asked to give a short speech and also given the honour of being the first to break the ground.

 

I'm so happy that the project for the new ward is going ahead.

Dr David Koroma

 

Breaking the Ground

Dr Koroma Breaking the Ground

RIP Mr Bangura

Sadly Mr Saidu Bangura, one of the residents at the King George VI Home for the Elderly, passed away at we weekend.

Many of our volunteers will remember Mr Bangura from the days when the King George home was in Kissy.