Sierra Leone Trip – April 2013 Day 4

20th April 2013 | Posted in Nigel's Blog

Saturday 20th April

Work up with the clear words in my mind Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see.  Alison said she work up with a sense from God it was the right thing to do, having been hesitant the day before.  Exercising faith – how often do I do it in life?  I spend so much time calculating, weighing things up, hedging my bets.  I wonder how often I have had Gods leading only not to press ahead.  Well, I believe this is what God has called me to do and I place the outcome in his hands.  I can see many homes being built on this land.  The next step is in the documentation to follow.

Headed off to town and eventually got an internet connection, confirmed the BA flights and arrived to see Moses Sesay at 10.30 at his church in Brookfields.  I have known Moses for 10 years from Mercy ships days where he did a lot of community development.  We talked through many of the issue that this opportunity brings.  The challenges, the questions – at times it seemed overwhelming but I do believe this is possible. Areas we considered included:

  • Do we identify a whole community and move them, is there a small group somewhere that can be started with or should we seek applications form people from many slums who genuinely want to move?
  • That the first movers into a new village set the tone so be clear on values, rules and responsibilities that are appropriate. In Krio they say, “the back leg follows the front leg”
  • Can we do an ownership approach such that a house can be owned by the family after paying a small mortgage for say 20 years
  • The training that may be appropriate – why do you need to move, costs and benefits.  Some people were given houses in Grafton but sold them and moved back to the slums.  Provide the life skills training necessary to care for a house and community commitment.  The head of households is key.
  • Engaging people in the design of the scheme to enhance ownership and buy in
  • What economic activity is best to have available and talked through a range of micro enterprise businesses that have worked
  • If land is vacated the government must enforce not having replacement settlements in dangerous areas
  • Having squat toilets in each house and how septic’s work
  • An urban gardening programme – ladies need a small space to grow cassava
  • Maybe have social workers write reports on families suitability to move – it’s hard building beaurocracy or a vital part?

We discussed the Christian and religious aspects.  It would not be right to only have Christians, and in any case people tell you want you want to hear.  With Christian ethics and values, what balance of muslim population should be there?  Advised important to ensure no zealots.  Clearly more to think through on this.

Then went on to see Andrew essay of Iris ministries and had a similar discussion but again learning fresh perspectives.  It made me reflect on to what extent we want to get involved in all the development transition etc verses the DR approach which provides homes but the providers having other groups run programmes.  The danger is taking people from a slum to another place that soon becomes a different sort of slum.  There are so many reasons to do nothing.

Choosing community leaders to enforce values and responsibilities is important.  A well is preferable to running water in homes as it breaks down too much here and nothing will get fixed.  Be careful with selection as pressure on selectors to bring their families and friends, no matter how well meaning.  Must have a “conflict of interest declaration”  There needs to be money to cover everything, especially transport as even volunteers cannot afford to simply come to meetings but have to pay.

We then went about 400 yards to visit a small slum called Bongo Town.  Quite a site as it looked like an earthquake as all the houses were smashed.  It turned out they were on the edge of Golf club land and on 26 March, a large caterpillar tractor drove through the 35 homes them, some tin, some well-built constructions that had been there 10 years, and knocked them all over, with no immediate notice and destroyed all their belongings in the house.  3 weeks on a few had used the bent corrugated iron to rebuild shelters.  One man showed me his mosquito net in the mud that he now sleeps under.

Meeting a community in shock like this literally brings tears to your eyes.  I suspect there have been many warnings and attempts to move the people on but the community head had first settled there in 1998.  To him it was home, though in truth he had no title or “rights.”  Elizabeth, a 16 year old explained to me “we have nowhere to go.”  They told how when the bulldozers came 2 of their children ran to tell their parents and in their rush were booth killed running across the adjacent main road!

This major issue in Freetown of people squatting and then enforcement is huge. The human misery left behind yells injustice and if you are at the bottom of the economic pile  you have no “power.”  They showed me a boundary marker for the golf club and clearly houses been demolished the other side of it.  A short visit one cannot assess the arguments, all I see is over 100 people, living by the most disgusting river, which floods their homes every year anyway, homeless, poorly educated and no idea where to go or what to do, other than rebuild on the same spot!  They asked for tarpaulins as the rains are coming. Is this need more important that the countless others here?

It seemed we are asking God for a community to start with and perhaps here it is?  How many others will be like this and this is just on the edge of  massive slums, where people fight to survive, infant mortality is huge and death comes early.

Went for a drink and then Gwen joined us for dinner.  Great to catch up with Gwen and we wrestled with a few of the issues.  Gwen has been resourcing teacher  training here and done a tremendous job developing the capacity of such programmes.  Again it’s a challenge when with someone who literally lays her life down to as the bible says “be a friend to the poor.”

Back to bed and Oh No – its wedding night at the hotel.  That means hundreds of people and speakers the size of a house where your bed almost vibrates form the base.  The TV has 2 channels – one news in English from the Chinese – this can just about drown out the disco on full volume.  Fell asleep anyway!

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