03/01/08
I have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break and am now back at work. Nothing I can say is going to give justice to the wonderful holiday that it was. I needed a break from work and time to explore Sierra Leone a little and get to know some people better. I travelled with 3 other VSOs Jayne, Julian and Grant, all wonderful travelling companions.
Christmas was spent at Banana Island, possibly one of the most beautiful places I have visited in a long time. The landscape was beautiful, green and largely untouched. Even someone like me who isn’t a big fan of beaches and sitting around would have to admit that the serene nature of this place made it easy to get sucked into the relaxed atmosphere as a result I became very good at doing nothing for long periods of time something that is really quite an art particularly for people like me.
We then went onto Kabala for New Years. This is a town in Koinadugu district in the north where it is actually quite cold and somewhere everyone goes to over the holidays, particularly for New Years. The place is very scenic, surrounded by hills and mountains as the town sits in the valley. There is a hill there that everyone climbs on New Year’s Day, this tradition has been going on for a while and involves sitting at the top of the hill, eating, drinking and dancing. Believe it or not I did actually climb this hill, fell 4 times (once on the way up, once up there and twice on the way down!) My body is still hurting as a result of this exertion. I’ve always said that nothing good comes of exercise. However it was so beautiful at the top, well worth the climb, I just sat there in awe of the world and felt inspired and overwhelmed by the natural beauty that I was surrounded by. A wonderful way to start the New Year…
As the holiday has come to an end, I am excited to be back at work. There is plenty to do and I have a renewed energy and sense of purpose. Have been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in the next year and where I want our organization to be when I leave, it isn’t so easy thinking of the bigger picture and the task ahead is overwhelming, but I would be really disappointed if I didn’t accomplish what I am here for in the year and so I must think about it very carefully and plan my year and my work well.
Friday, 4 January 2008
Thursday, 3 January 2008
18/12/07
I have had an absolutely manic week. I was running a three day workshop for 25 people about the advocacy process. Even though I was prepared for it, I found that I was extremely nervous feeling that I had to make a good first impression with all my colleagues both as a facilitator and as a competent individual. I was so stressed about it the first day, however after the first day I found that it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be and actually I found it quite nice to talk and discuss with an eager audience( who would have thought I would been comfortable just talking to people!). Today is my last day of work, but I will probably be coming in a couple more times before Christmas, even if it is just to use the generator to charge my phone!
There are many people going home for Christmas, and for the first time yesterday I really wanted to be home. I spoke to all my close friends who were together having Christmas dinner ( a tradition we have had for many years now) while I was at home recovering from the last day of training. I also spoke to my friend Frank. I haven’t been able to speak to my parents properly for a couple of weeks now, every time they call the connection is bad or the time is inconvenient. I feel really quite out of touch with them.
I have finally realised in a very real sense that if you want something done and done how you want it you have to do it yourself. I have been waiting for a dining table for at least a few weeks and because someone else id meant to be arranging it for me, I have not really been able to follow it up myself except to ask BJ (the person meant to be taking care of it for me) why it isn’t ready and to push it a little. This week I am having guests both stay with me and a party of Friday and finally had reached the end of my tether and in desperation begged literally begged on my knees to BJ hoping to shame him into action, it didn’t work , he said it would be here by 2 pm. I have literally just gone to the carpenter asked for my table (which has apparently been ready for weeks!!) taken it with my own hands and brought it to the office, where I asked a friend to meet me with his vehicle and took it straight to the house. It has taken me about 1 hour to do something I would probably have waited weeks at least to get done. I feel such a sense of accomplishment I cannot wait to sit down and have dinner at my table!
6/12/07
Yesterday was international volunteer day and we had various programmes to celebrate the contribution of volunteers and to promote the culture of volunteerism. I had to give a statement in front of a crowd representing VSO, I was terrified, I’m not a big fan of public speaking. In the evening I did a live show on radio with a couple of colleagues to discuss issues around volunteerism. That experience was much more interesting and a little easier, even though most of it was in krio
Ps. James my housemate has malaria again! Poor guy… 3rd time in 7 weeks. I really feel for him.
5/12/07
I can’t believe it is so close to Christmas, it doesn’t feel it at all. Firstly it is extremely hot here (although not as hot as its going to get by far) and secondly I don’t see signs of Christmas everywhere I look! If I was home now no doubt I would be seeing adverts about what to buy my children/ pressure my parents for, how not to get into debt next Christmas and every possible card, chocolate, food you can imagine. I have made plans to go to Banana Island (which is known for its beautiful beaches) for Christmas with three friends and then somewhere else for new years. This will be the first year that I am not only away from a home and any family/friends for Christmas. I don’t mind at all, looking forward to the break and seeing a new place I wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to see.
Yesterday our generator worked for the first time in the house, I had never seen our house lit up. I am actually finding that bright unnatural light really freaks me out, I never have the lights on when we use the generator. I only use it to charge my laptop, phone iPod etc. Its very exciting because our house looks more and more like home all the time, yesterday I put up curtains and today (fingers crossed) I should be getting my dining table)
I have had an absolutely manic week. I was running a three day workshop for 25 people about the advocacy process. Even though I was prepared for it, I found that I was extremely nervous feeling that I had to make a good first impression with all my colleagues both as a facilitator and as a competent individual. I was so stressed about it the first day, however after the first day I found that it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be and actually I found it quite nice to talk and discuss with an eager audience( who would have thought I would been comfortable just talking to people!). Today is my last day of work, but I will probably be coming in a couple more times before Christmas, even if it is just to use the generator to charge my phone!
There are many people going home for Christmas, and for the first time yesterday I really wanted to be home. I spoke to all my close friends who were together having Christmas dinner ( a tradition we have had for many years now) while I was at home recovering from the last day of training. I also spoke to my friend Frank. I haven’t been able to speak to my parents properly for a couple of weeks now, every time they call the connection is bad or the time is inconvenient. I feel really quite out of touch with them.
I have finally realised in a very real sense that if you want something done and done how you want it you have to do it yourself. I have been waiting for a dining table for at least a few weeks and because someone else id meant to be arranging it for me, I have not really been able to follow it up myself except to ask BJ (the person meant to be taking care of it for me) why it isn’t ready and to push it a little. This week I am having guests both stay with me and a party of Friday and finally had reached the end of my tether and in desperation begged literally begged on my knees to BJ hoping to shame him into action, it didn’t work , he said it would be here by 2 pm. I have literally just gone to the carpenter asked for my table (which has apparently been ready for weeks!!) taken it with my own hands and brought it to the office, where I asked a friend to meet me with his vehicle and took it straight to the house. It has taken me about 1 hour to do something I would probably have waited weeks at least to get done. I feel such a sense of accomplishment I cannot wait to sit down and have dinner at my table!
6/12/07
Yesterday was international volunteer day and we had various programmes to celebrate the contribution of volunteers and to promote the culture of volunteerism. I had to give a statement in front of a crowd representing VSO, I was terrified, I’m not a big fan of public speaking. In the evening I did a live show on radio with a couple of colleagues to discuss issues around volunteerism. That experience was much more interesting and a little easier, even though most of it was in krio
Ps. James my housemate has malaria again! Poor guy… 3rd time in 7 weeks. I really feel for him.
5/12/07
I can’t believe it is so close to Christmas, it doesn’t feel it at all. Firstly it is extremely hot here (although not as hot as its going to get by far) and secondly I don’t see signs of Christmas everywhere I look! If I was home now no doubt I would be seeing adverts about what to buy my children/ pressure my parents for, how not to get into debt next Christmas and every possible card, chocolate, food you can imagine. I have made plans to go to Banana Island (which is known for its beautiful beaches) for Christmas with three friends and then somewhere else for new years. This will be the first year that I am not only away from a home and any family/friends for Christmas. I don’t mind at all, looking forward to the break and seeing a new place I wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to see.
Yesterday our generator worked for the first time in the house, I had never seen our house lit up. I am actually finding that bright unnatural light really freaks me out, I never have the lights on when we use the generator. I only use it to charge my laptop, phone iPod etc. Its very exciting because our house looks more and more like home all the time, yesterday I put up curtains and today (fingers crossed) I should be getting my dining table)
Friday, 30 November 2007
Blog 8
27/11/07
Over the weekend I went to church, the service was good but well over 3 hours! The singing and music was fabulous and I love how everyone dances in the aisle, it was such a pleasure to watch. Having said this I am fairly conservative about how church should be and so did feel that this wasn’t the right church for me. I might try out a few more. I really want to join a choir, I used to enjoy singing when I was much younger and then just gave it up completely, this feels like a good place to take it up again.
Yesterday as I was lying in bed it occurred to me that at home in London we have numerous candles and even more blasted candle stands, what the hell do we ever use them for? Here on the other hand I use candles every single day and yet I don’t have a single candle stand and just melt and stick them onto any surface. I do have one stuck in a bottle but that is reserved for when I am moving from one room to another. It’s crazy that we have so much stuff at home that we don’t use and certainly don’t need. I would kill for some of the shit lying in our garage and loft. I find myself using everything for something, hardly any wastage at all.
I recall a story my father told me about when my parents were newly married and living in a village, my father invited a senior colleague for dinner spontaneously and my mother rummaged up a very acceptable if not impressive dinner with various bits and leftovers (he even inquired about the recipe!). I see her do it even now, make something out of nothing. I am proud that I am truly my mother’s daughter; I see so much of her in myself!
Amma you would be so proud of how my kitchen looks, how well everything is organised and labelled! How I have reserves of all the essential things and how I never allow myself to waste anything. I wish you could come see me here…
Blog 7
23/11/07
Last night we made a thanksgiving meal pretty successfully considering our limited resources, we were just missing the turkey that was replaced by the small chicken and cranberry sauce which apparently no one really likes. I then went for a concert featuring local and national artists that went on till the wee hours of the morning, but it was totally worth it, I had my picture taken with Alonso the Salone Akon (and if I could bloody load some pictures onto this blog I would!!).
People don’t really distinguish between foreigners here, anything that isn’t black is white. It is very few people who make that distinction. I sometimes hear people in the street say “dis na Indian” which means “This one is Indian” in Krio, and I turn and smile with satisfaction. This is probably because Bollywood movies are somewhat popular here and I have had people asking me if I am related to Rani Mukherjee! I’m very tempted to tell them I am. I have asked the neighbourhood kids to call me didi, which means big sister in Hindi and even though I know it means nothing to them, it gives me a warm feeling when I hear them call me didi.
For various reasons I find myself being given opportunities that I would never get back home. This morning a lecturer that I met from the local university asked me to come in and talk to his development students about gender in development and in particular talk about Kerela. I couldn’t say no, so next Saturday I hope to be giving my first lecture. It’s all such a great learning experience; I would be foolish to turn it down.
Blog 6
22/11/07
It is thanksgiving today and since there isn’t a turkey in sight I have just returned from the market with a semi dead chicken in a black plastic bag. It twitched quite a lot as I walked back to the office and stuck it discreetly in the fridge. I look forward to going home and plucking and cleaning it before we can begin to prepare our roast dinner tonight. We even found Irish potatoes, even though they were extortionately expensive!
James my house mate has broken a VSO record, he has successfully contracted malaria twice in a 5 week period. The first time was not so bad (10%) the second time however, which he is still battling, has knocked him out (80%!) He has been extremely unlucky. I on the other hand have not had any health issues yet (touch wood), and hope to remain healthy.
The last couple of weeks have been good. I feel like I am having more ups and downs. I am beginning to enjoy Makeni more and more, as I explore the town and get to know people and just generally feel more comfortable here. I guess I just feel quite content and happy regardless of the downs. Work is going well, I go through phases of being confident in my ability to deliver what is expected of me and wondering who in their right mind would give me a responsibility like this often within a couple of hours.
Today is a good day I am getting my head around how to convey something that I am only familiarising myself with now to a group of people who are not at all familiar with it at all. I am working hard and doing a lot of preparation and planning (and for those of you who know me better you will know how much importance I put on the planning stage of things!). I am learning the importance of just trying something out even if you aren’t sure of what you are doing and how you are doing it and inevitably of making mistakes because that is the only way you can learn. On the other hand I am also learning the importance of actually learning from your mistakes as I observe others and myself at times repeating the same mistakes over and over again!!
Blog 5
16th November 2007
Yesterday was the new President’s inauguration. A truly historic moment, many people flocked to the national stadium in Freetown to listen to his speech most of us however caught some or all of it on the radio. It was a national holiday and so I spent a large chunk of the day cleaning the house and washing my clothes, I feel so domesticated!!
The day before that I was out for drinks and bumped into Farley Flex, the judge from Canadian Idol, hanging out in Makeni. I knew he was coming here to do some PR work for War Child Canada and met him and his team in our local and only Lebanese restaurant in town.
27/11/07
Over the weekend I went to church, the service was good but well over 3 hours! The singing and music was fabulous and I love how everyone dances in the aisle, it was such a pleasure to watch. Having said this I am fairly conservative about how church should be and so did feel that this wasn’t the right church for me. I might try out a few more. I really want to join a choir, I used to enjoy singing when I was much younger and then just gave it up completely, this feels like a good place to take it up again.
Yesterday as I was lying in bed it occurred to me that at home in London we have numerous candles and even more blasted candle stands, what the hell do we ever use them for? Here on the other hand I use candles every single day and yet I don’t have a single candle stand and just melt and stick them onto any surface. I do have one stuck in a bottle but that is reserved for when I am moving from one room to another. It’s crazy that we have so much stuff at home that we don’t use and certainly don’t need. I would kill for some of the shit lying in our garage and loft. I find myself using everything for something, hardly any wastage at all.
I recall a story my father told me about when my parents were newly married and living in a village, my father invited a senior colleague for dinner spontaneously and my mother rummaged up a very acceptable if not impressive dinner with various bits and leftovers (he even inquired about the recipe!). I see her do it even now, make something out of nothing. I am proud that I am truly my mother’s daughter; I see so much of her in myself!
Amma you would be so proud of how my kitchen looks, how well everything is organised and labelled! How I have reserves of all the essential things and how I never allow myself to waste anything. I wish you could come see me here…
Blog 7
23/11/07
Last night we made a thanksgiving meal pretty successfully considering our limited resources, we were just missing the turkey that was replaced by the small chicken and cranberry sauce which apparently no one really likes. I then went for a concert featuring local and national artists that went on till the wee hours of the morning, but it was totally worth it, I had my picture taken with Alonso the Salone Akon (and if I could bloody load some pictures onto this blog I would!!).
People don’t really distinguish between foreigners here, anything that isn’t black is white. It is very few people who make that distinction. I sometimes hear people in the street say “dis na Indian” which means “This one is Indian” in Krio, and I turn and smile with satisfaction. This is probably because Bollywood movies are somewhat popular here and I have had people asking me if I am related to Rani Mukherjee! I’m very tempted to tell them I am. I have asked the neighbourhood kids to call me didi, which means big sister in Hindi and even though I know it means nothing to them, it gives me a warm feeling when I hear them call me didi.
For various reasons I find myself being given opportunities that I would never get back home. This morning a lecturer that I met from the local university asked me to come in and talk to his development students about gender in development and in particular talk about Kerela. I couldn’t say no, so next Saturday I hope to be giving my first lecture. It’s all such a great learning experience; I would be foolish to turn it down.
Blog 6
22/11/07
It is thanksgiving today and since there isn’t a turkey in sight I have just returned from the market with a semi dead chicken in a black plastic bag. It twitched quite a lot as I walked back to the office and stuck it discreetly in the fridge. I look forward to going home and plucking and cleaning it before we can begin to prepare our roast dinner tonight. We even found Irish potatoes, even though they were extortionately expensive!
James my house mate has broken a VSO record, he has successfully contracted malaria twice in a 5 week period. The first time was not so bad (10%) the second time however, which he is still battling, has knocked him out (80%!) He has been extremely unlucky. I on the other hand have not had any health issues yet (touch wood), and hope to remain healthy.
The last couple of weeks have been good. I feel like I am having more ups and downs. I am beginning to enjoy Makeni more and more, as I explore the town and get to know people and just generally feel more comfortable here. I guess I just feel quite content and happy regardless of the downs. Work is going well, I go through phases of being confident in my ability to deliver what is expected of me and wondering who in their right mind would give me a responsibility like this often within a couple of hours.
Today is a good day I am getting my head around how to convey something that I am only familiarising myself with now to a group of people who are not at all familiar with it at all. I am working hard and doing a lot of preparation and planning (and for those of you who know me better you will know how much importance I put on the planning stage of things!). I am learning the importance of just trying something out even if you aren’t sure of what you are doing and how you are doing it and inevitably of making mistakes because that is the only way you can learn. On the other hand I am also learning the importance of actually learning from your mistakes as I observe others and myself at times repeating the same mistakes over and over again!!
Blog 5
16th November 2007
Yesterday was the new President’s inauguration. A truly historic moment, many people flocked to the national stadium in Freetown to listen to his speech most of us however caught some or all of it on the radio. It was a national holiday and so I spent a large chunk of the day cleaning the house and washing my clothes, I feel so domesticated!!
The day before that I was out for drinks and bumped into Farley Flex, the judge from Canadian Idol, hanging out in Makeni. I knew he was coming here to do some PR work for War Child Canada and met him and his team in our local and only Lebanese restaurant in town.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Blog 1
24th October 2007
I have now been here for almost a month and thanks to Krystle this has been a relatively easy change. During my first month I have had the pleasure of getting to know Freetown and meeting many of Krystle’s wonderful friends who have been so warm and welcoming to me. Caro then arrived (for those of you who don’t know Caro is another friend from my school days in London) and we spent two weeks exploring Freetown, the beaches and Krystle’s bedroom! It was lovely to spend time with old friends and catch up in a way we haven’t done for a very long time. This has been a wonderful way to start this year.
We have had VSO ICT (In country training) over the last 10 days, this has consisted of cultural, political and general briefings preparing us to work in the country. Although this has been extremely useful, it has also highlighted how much more there is to learn and what an overwhelming task and challenge lies before me. I look forward to it wholeheartedly.
Freetown seems like a wonderful place to be, it is currently green and lush from the rains. The beaches are gorgeous and littered with little bars all along. The city is NGO central; I have never seen so many vehicles belonging to the various UN departments and INGOs. They are everywhere causing traffic jams. Due to this there are people working in the sector here from all over the world and the ex-pat community is thriving.
Blog 2
30th October 2007
I have finally arrived in Makeni which is where I will be working for the next year. Makeni seems to be a lovely town, fairly small, very green and definitely the best place to be outside of Freetown. I am living with 2 other VSO volunteers, James from the UK and Buddy (Salvador) from the Philippines (both of whom are lovely, I have been really lucky). I have only just arrived yesterday quite late at night. I was hoping to get a couple of hours to daylight to settle in, but it seemed that that was too much to ask for as we were delayed by almost 4 hours! The house has three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have no electricity or running water but luckily the well is only in our back yard, I look forward to how my upper arms are going to look after a year of pulling water up twice daily. The neighbourhood seems nice, I look forward to exploring it.
I have had my first day at work. It has been a particularly interesting one. I was picked up in the CDHR (Centre for Democracy and Human Rights) vehicle and brought to work for 9 am, after being introduced to everyone and showed my desk, I was whisked off for the name giving ceremony of our office manager BJ who is the proud father of two week old Mari. She is a gorgeous baby. As part of the ceremony a goat was slaughtered I have been given my share with which I intend to make mutton curry.
I was then brought back to the office only to be taken to the local prison where we are monitoring the conditions that the inmates are living in. I have never been to a prison before, and never given too much thought to the rights of a convicted felon. However as I walked into this prison where most of the demographic are young and male and heard some of their stories, I was both surprised at the commitment of the prison guards and although not particularly surprised at the conditions of the inmates, was certainly not prepared for what I saw. A UN assessment of prisons in Sierra Leone done earlier this year has proclaimed most of the detention centres as unfit for human inhabitation.
I have since had a chance to talk to my boss, Massie, and gage a better understanding of what I will be doing this year. Although the organisation is engaging in some form of advocacy on some levels they do not have an advocacy program. What they want me to do is to initiate and develop one that particularly involves the work done at field level and is strategic and effective at all levels. They then want me to capacity build my colleagues in Makeni and in the 7 district offices we have to be able to carry out the strategic plan for advocacy. This is surely a huge task…
My first month in Freetown was easy for me to adjust to because of Krystle and Caro being there and then In Country Training. I feel like I am only now starting my placement and the next week is going to be a little tough, as I settle into my new home, neighbourhood, town, and job and of course getting to know the people that I am meeting. I am going through phases of both being terribly excited and happy to being nervous and disheartened. However mostly I am feeling content with how things seem to be going and seeing a lot of potential for me to be happy here and to grow both personally and professionally during this year. What more can I ask for?
PS. I am finding it really hard to write this blog as I am not sure who is reading it and what types of things they want to read about. I feel like I have written a somewhat censored diary and plastered it on the World Wide Web. Any suggestions about what to write about and comments about existing content would be greatly appreciated.
Blog 3
1st November 2007
Today I went for a march to launch a report published by Amnesty International and us (CDHR). The report is entitled “Sierra Leone; Getting reparations right for survivors of sexual violence” it is lobbying the government to include victims of sexual violence in with the amputee victims to receive reparation. It is estimated that 250,000 women and girls have been victims of war-related sexual violence. The rally was meant to launch the report which will subsequently be used as an advocacy tool to lobby the government. The rally was also meant to be a forum in which to engage the community in an issue that otherwise remains marginalised and stigmatised. This rally brought it to the forefront if only for a while.
Blog 4
9th November 2007
The last couple of weeks in Makeni have been great. I am beginning to get into my work, and have many plans for what I want us to accomplish over the next year. I am meeting many interesting people mainly through the “development network” which is both small and accessible. I have been exploring the town and getting to know people, the town is nice but it’s no Freetown! But I can see myself being happy hear. I also feel more settled in my home, as I have taken the trouble to make it feel that way. James and I have spent time, money and thought into doing up the place so that it feels more like home. It feels more that way every day.
24th October 2007
I have now been here for almost a month and thanks to Krystle this has been a relatively easy change. During my first month I have had the pleasure of getting to know Freetown and meeting many of Krystle’s wonderful friends who have been so warm and welcoming to me. Caro then arrived (for those of you who don’t know Caro is another friend from my school days in London) and we spent two weeks exploring Freetown, the beaches and Krystle’s bedroom! It was lovely to spend time with old friends and catch up in a way we haven’t done for a very long time. This has been a wonderful way to start this year.
We have had VSO ICT (In country training) over the last 10 days, this has consisted of cultural, political and general briefings preparing us to work in the country. Although this has been extremely useful, it has also highlighted how much more there is to learn and what an overwhelming task and challenge lies before me. I look forward to it wholeheartedly.
Freetown seems like a wonderful place to be, it is currently green and lush from the rains. The beaches are gorgeous and littered with little bars all along. The city is NGO central; I have never seen so many vehicles belonging to the various UN departments and INGOs. They are everywhere causing traffic jams. Due to this there are people working in the sector here from all over the world and the ex-pat community is thriving.
Blog 2
30th October 2007
I have finally arrived in Makeni which is where I will be working for the next year. Makeni seems to be a lovely town, fairly small, very green and definitely the best place to be outside of Freetown. I am living with 2 other VSO volunteers, James from the UK and Buddy (Salvador) from the Philippines (both of whom are lovely, I have been really lucky). I have only just arrived yesterday quite late at night. I was hoping to get a couple of hours to daylight to settle in, but it seemed that that was too much to ask for as we were delayed by almost 4 hours! The house has three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have no electricity or running water but luckily the well is only in our back yard, I look forward to how my upper arms are going to look after a year of pulling water up twice daily. The neighbourhood seems nice, I look forward to exploring it.
I have had my first day at work. It has been a particularly interesting one. I was picked up in the CDHR (Centre for Democracy and Human Rights) vehicle and brought to work for 9 am, after being introduced to everyone and showed my desk, I was whisked off for the name giving ceremony of our office manager BJ who is the proud father of two week old Mari. She is a gorgeous baby. As part of the ceremony a goat was slaughtered I have been given my share with which I intend to make mutton curry.
I was then brought back to the office only to be taken to the local prison where we are monitoring the conditions that the inmates are living in. I have never been to a prison before, and never given too much thought to the rights of a convicted felon. However as I walked into this prison where most of the demographic are young and male and heard some of their stories, I was both surprised at the commitment of the prison guards and although not particularly surprised at the conditions of the inmates, was certainly not prepared for what I saw. A UN assessment of prisons in Sierra Leone done earlier this year has proclaimed most of the detention centres as unfit for human inhabitation.
I have since had a chance to talk to my boss, Massie, and gage a better understanding of what I will be doing this year. Although the organisation is engaging in some form of advocacy on some levels they do not have an advocacy program. What they want me to do is to initiate and develop one that particularly involves the work done at field level and is strategic and effective at all levels. They then want me to capacity build my colleagues in Makeni and in the 7 district offices we have to be able to carry out the strategic plan for advocacy. This is surely a huge task…
My first month in Freetown was easy for me to adjust to because of Krystle and Caro being there and then In Country Training. I feel like I am only now starting my placement and the next week is going to be a little tough, as I settle into my new home, neighbourhood, town, and job and of course getting to know the people that I am meeting. I am going through phases of both being terribly excited and happy to being nervous and disheartened. However mostly I am feeling content with how things seem to be going and seeing a lot of potential for me to be happy here and to grow both personally and professionally during this year. What more can I ask for?
PS. I am finding it really hard to write this blog as I am not sure who is reading it and what types of things they want to read about. I feel like I have written a somewhat censored diary and plastered it on the World Wide Web. Any suggestions about what to write about and comments about existing content would be greatly appreciated.
Blog 3
1st November 2007
Today I went for a march to launch a report published by Amnesty International and us (CDHR). The report is entitled “Sierra Leone; Getting reparations right for survivors of sexual violence” it is lobbying the government to include victims of sexual violence in with the amputee victims to receive reparation. It is estimated that 250,000 women and girls have been victims of war-related sexual violence. The rally was meant to launch the report which will subsequently be used as an advocacy tool to lobby the government. The rally was also meant to be a forum in which to engage the community in an issue that otherwise remains marginalised and stigmatised. This rally brought it to the forefront if only for a while.
Blog 4
9th November 2007
The last couple of weeks in Makeni have been great. I am beginning to get into my work, and have many plans for what I want us to accomplish over the next year. I am meeting many interesting people mainly through the “development network” which is both small and accessible. I have been exploring the town and getting to know people, the town is nice but it’s no Freetown! But I can see myself being happy hear. I also feel more settled in my home, as I have taken the trouble to make it feel that way. James and I have spent time, money and thought into doing up the place so that it feels more like home. It feels more that way every day.
Thursday, 13 September 2007
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