Several weeks ago, an announcement was made to the crew that the Minister of Health of Sierra Leone had invited a group of us to come to her village for a Saturday. We had absolutely no idea what we were signing up for - which made it more fun! We left bright and early at 8 AM in a UN bus that the Minister of Health sent to pick us up. However it was quite packed with people. I believe it was meant to hold about 24 people, and we fit over 30! We traveled about 3 1/2 hours to her village of Yoni Bana. The drive was beautiful as we left the smog and crowds of Freetown and headed out to the provinces. Many small villages are situated along that main road that we took. I saw women spreading rice out on the side of the road to dry because rice is in season. In front of their homes I saw many women pounding fufu, cooking over a fire, preparing food for the day. We drove down a dirt road for about half an hour...what a bumpy ride. I had forgotten that most of the roads here are dirt roads. Since we are mostly in the city, the roads there are paved. At one point we hit a bump so big it threw us up off our seats. We were so relieved once we finally arrived at her home.
Thanks to Jeff Quick for taking most of these pictures.
The current President of Sierra Leone, Earnest Koroma.
The preferred method of fixing a car is in the middle of the road. Why not?
One of the many villages that we drove through...
Apparently this event was such a big deal that we needed a "film crew." This man, from Sierra Leone Broadcasting, filmed almost out entire day! Who knows...maybe we were on the news.
As we pulled up to the home of the Minister of Health, she lead the children in singing songs of welcome for us. I was told that she takes care of these 50+ children and feeds them often.
We got into the singing...before long we were clapping, dancing, and praising God along with the kids. :)
A short video clip so you can hear them!
The Minister of Health then introduced herself to us, and proceeded to thank us on behalf of Sierra Leone and President Koroma for the work of Mercy Ships. It was quite emotional to realize what a huge task she has because of the nearly non-existent healthcare in Sierra Leone. She was so grateful for all that Mercy Ships has done.
After that, she led us around her village so that we could see firsthand what it is like. The people were all so friendly, and didn't mind us unexpectedly walking in front of their homes.
:D
Panorama of everyone enjoying a VERY African lunch. I say very because it was by far the spiciest food I've ever tasted!
The Mercy Ships delegation.
That's me - right in the middle! The ride home was a bit harder. We were all squished together and tired from the long day. I can take being squished, but after 3 hours it becomes quite unpleasant. I must admit though that this bus had air conditioning, which is almost unheard of here!
We made a stop on the way home. Apparently this is where any travelers stop for food/ fuel. As soon as we pulled over, a large crowd of people selling goods came running over to us. They sell anything from fresh bananas, oranges, coconut (love it), to plantain chips and sesame bars (which I bought)! I am REALLY going to miss this once I get home.
What 2 things are wrong with this photo?? We watched this truck as it hit a large bump and - you guessed it - the goat went flying in the air! Thankfully he was tied so he couldn't go too far. This is Africa.
And this is Africa! You catch a ride however you can here. These guys were grinning as we drove by and they saw us taking pictures of them.
Thanks for reading. There is so much more to say...but I hope that the pictures speak for themselves. It always seems like such a challenge to put what I've experienced into words. My next post will be about a royal visit to the Africa Mercy!
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