Monday, January 9, 2012  

Hello Friends!
 
This is my 1st group email from my 2012 trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa. If you are on this list and do not want to receive periodic letters from now through February, please email Kathy at kmvhd@yahoo.com and ask to be removed from the list.
 
I'm writing this from home, but leave tomorrow morning on the 36+ hour trip. I'd love prayers for a smooth trip for me and Nevin as we have only a 3 hour layover in Heathrow-London and if we arrive late we (or our suit cases) will probably not make the connection. The next flight into Freetown, SL is 2 days later.
 
A main reason for this letter is to give some background info so that I won't have to do that so much in the future letters. (Some of you have been getting these letters since my 1st trip in Jan 2009 and some are new with this one.)
 
-- I have limited and sometimes unpredictable ends to computer access at Caleb's school. This will be the only time I beg forgiveness for mis-spellings (erratic or absent spell check and poor typing skills) and sometimes awkward sentences, but please keep that in mind when necessary!
 
-- AISF, American International School of Freetown, is the school where Caleb, my son, teaches 5th grade. This is his 4th year at the AISF teaching 2nd,3rd,4th &/or 5th grade.
AISF is the best school in SL. Most of the students at AISF are the children of NGO (non-profit) workers and come from various countries around the world. (At the time of my 1st visit there were more counties represented than there were students in Caleb's class because many of the kids have parents from 2 different counties!)There are several other private schools in Freetown that are much better than the public schools.
The public schools are in deplorable condition, with out books, paper, etc. All the ones I've seen have a 'chalk board' (a black painted area of wall or wood) and chalk. The teacher lectures and the young students sing back what has been said to memorize it. In high School the teacher writes on the board and students copy the lesson into a paper book similar to our ole 'blue books' then memorize it.  The public school teachers are college graduates that have come through that system. (Caleb, who has interviewed some of them to be assistants at AISF says that there is no abstract thinking or problem solving ability.) That said, it is a federal law that children attend school. There are also very low school fees that many families can not pay. At least in the villages where I have asked, the children whose families can not pay fees or provide the required uniforms 'owe' the money and the children are mostly in school! 
 
-- Freetown is the capital of SL and is the only very large city. A high percentage of the SL population lives there.
 
-- SL had a horrific civil war, which ended about 14 years ago (the book Boy Soldier and the movie Blood Diamonds).  The effects of the war can still be seen everywhere, but progress is being made. A great book that is not too grizzly is A Princess Found, by Sarah Culberson and Tracy Trivas.
 
-- SL is between 2/3 and 3/4 the size of Ohio.
 
-- Our church, WCUCC (Westerville Community UCC) raises money to fund Water Projects through Heifer International (HI) in villages where HI is providing training and livestock (goats of sheep, which in the tropics, have hair instead of wool and look very much like goats!) As or Dec 31, 2011, we have provided water in 8 communities (10 wells and 1 new pump!) Some of these villages had wells that run dry by the end of the dry season and some had never had any source of pure water! Drinking surface water from rivers or in some cases, rice paddy swamps, causes many. many diseases. Most, if not all, of the people in the rural villages have internal parasites often ingested in the contaminated water. It is a joy to work with the HI staff in providing this basic need for whole villages! A video and 2 Power Points are on the WCUCC website, www.westervillecucc.org. Click on 'Serve' and scroll to the bottom! There will be more Power Points in the future.
 
-- Much of my time in SL is spent traveling to villages with the excellent HI staff. This is such a privilege! It is a unique opportunity. Much of what I write about will be the work with HI.
 
-- I also work with an NGO called Word Made Flesh (an American non-profit) that runs 2 programs in SL. The 1st is Lighthouse, which mentors about 15-20 homeless teens. The are provided with 1 meal a day, school fees or a apprenticeship to learn a trade, Christian education and moral character development, group and 1 on1 relationships and helped to find a place to live.   The 2nd program is for young kids in the Kroo Bay slum, which I've been told is the largest and worst slum in the world, but I doubt that's documented! It is believable! Walking through it is unbelievable. Some of the children are given school fees. About 300 kids from 2 years to per-adolescence come to a neighborhood church for gospel singing, a Bible story acted out, and 'responsive yelling' (my term-similar to a responsive reading for non-readers!) The kids are then given 1 hard boiled egg each which may be their only protein for the week! Any that have scrapes or injuries are also given 1st aid.
 
-- A personal goal for me this year is to balance my "work" with relaxation and fun with Caleb! Last year, my time was too heavily work. I will also be writing about time on the beautiful beaches for SL! Dinners out and time with Caleb's friends, internationals from all over, will also be great fun! After my 3 previous trips, I have many friends that I am looking forward to spending time with, as well!
 
-- I apologize for the length of this email. Subsequent ones will be shorter! Having this background communicated will help with that!
 
-- I love to receive emails while I'm in SL. They help me feel in touch with life here. I will not be able to answer individual emails or open attachments because the connection I can get there is slower than our old dial-up, but I'll try to address common interest questions in the group emails! 

I especially appreciate knowing that many of you are holding me in your prayers.
 
God Bless You
Jenny