People talk about being in the "middle of nowhere" when referring to a location far, far from a large city or major highway. Much of Africa qualifies as being in the "middle of nowhere." Sierra Leone is a small country on the west coast of Africa. Much of it would qualify as being in the "middle of nowhere" but that is exactly where two teachers, Reba Bull and Barry Meyer, a parent, Doug Adams and eight students from Denver Christian High School went recently.
Inspired by the theme of "Restoring Hope in Sierra Leone" the team worked for over eight months to raise money and awareness. They sent a container filled with plastic water pipe, cement, school supplies and toys in October. Finally, on December 16, they left for Freetown, Sierra Leone with 32 pieces of luggage. About 18 hours later they landed, and for all but one, set foot on the African continent for the first time. The next morning the team set off for its first destination, Kabala, a dusty provincial capital 250 miles away from Freetown the capital of Sierra Leone. After bouncing along for over six hours on partially paved roads and listening to children shouting "Oputu" (white man in Temne) every time they passed a village, they reached Kabala. Pastor John Phiri, a Zambian missionary to Sierra Leone, greeted them warmly. Soon word got out by cell phone, because Kabala has no electricity or phone service, that the Americans had arrived. Soon others arrived and everyone was treated to the first of many excellent African meals.
The three-day stay in Kabala featured tours of a clinic and a new school, attendance at a wedding, a concert and a Christian worship service. Eight white teenagers riding around in the back of a pickup was quite a sight for the inhabitants of this town of about 10,000. For the team members, especially those staying with local families, life in Kabala was an eye-opening experience, but these experiences would prove to be just the tip of the iceberg.
The primary task for the DC team was to go to an isolated village called Foria to gather information in order to design a new water system. Foria lies along the only road that cuts across Diang chiefdom. Although it is only 31 miles from Kabala, the terrible road conditions mean that the trip takes over four hours even with 4-wheel drive. A water system was originally installed in 1985, but it was made of galvanized steel pipes that have become rusted and leaky. As a result the system is barely functional and often dries up during the dry season. Denver Christian became involved because one of the teacher chaperones, Barry Meyer, lived in Foria during the 1980s and helped with the original installation. Meyer had maintained contact with friends in Sierra Leone and was challenged a year ago to help solve the water problem in Foria and several other nearby villages.
During their seven days in Foria the team conducted a census, mapped the village, measured elevations with GPS units, and visited the anticipated water source. Their data will be used back in Denver to produce the design for the system with construction to occur in late February or early March. In order to collect the information, the team broke up into small groups and with the help of some of the locals who spoke English they knocked on every door and walked every inch of the village. Throughout the entire time, hordes of children followed them every step of the way.
The timing of the trip meant that the team would spend Christmas, not with their families, but in Foria. Therefore, this was a unique Christmas for each of them. A Christmas service was held in the local church-spoken in Krio and Kuranko (no English), although the team did contribute two Christmas carols to the celebration. After a special Christmas meal prepared by their excellent cook, Kumba, the team loaded up their backpacks with toys and household items to distribute throughout the village. "Toys for God's Kids" from Denver donated hundreds of small wooden cars and students from DC brought in balls, balloons and other toys-all for this special day. And it was special, for the kids of Foria live in desperate poverty so that even a balloon is a treasure. For the American students it was a bittersweet experience. They made hundreds of children smile, but couldn't help but realize that balloons and tennis balls won't really make much of a difference. But maybe these toys will give the children reason to hope and a good supply of clean water definitely will!
As the days wore on, the students began to recognize the morning greeting "Tanamasi" and to respond with "Allah Tontu." They learned that "Masomiyu" meant "goodnight" and that "wota" was helpful to scatter the ever present crowd of children who came to watch the "tababoos" (white man in Kuranko). Mrs. Bull, Adam Martin and Sydney Bender learned how to cook a local dish called "Conse" while Thomas Naday and Michael Cherneski played soccer with the town team that was preparing for an upcoming tournament. Zach Adams learned how to play a traditional flute, while Chelsea Olson learned several songs in both Kuranko and Krio. Ivan Komodore and Cole Llewellyn made the one-mile hike up to a waterfall several mornings for their daily bath. Mr. Adams made friends with two-year old Fera Musu, and Mr. Meyer reconnected with his old friend Sheku.
With their mission accomplished, the group packed up and left Foria on Monday the 30 th of December. The village had never seen eight American teenagers at one time. The Americans experienced things that will affect them forever. They saw smiling children clad in rags. They were greeted by folks stepping out of houses made of mud and grass. They made friends-hopefully they brought some hope to a town desperate for any sign of a brighter tomorrow.