Thursday, March 9, 2006

One woman shares her opinion on health in the community.

I woke up to the sound of children's voices. While my village home’s guest room was still completely dark, I knew that morning had come. Although I felt a bit tired and sore from the dancing marathon the previous evening, I rose knowing that the morning activities were not to be missed.

After breakfast, we had the chance to listen in on a meeting of the Community Health Club (CHC) where community members gathered to talk about HIV/AIDS. The discussion seemed honest and thoughtful. One man, who happened to have been my host for the previous evening, raised his hand and asked, "How do we actually know HIV/AIDS exists?" Without hesitation, one CARE facilitator explained our ability to scientifically confirm the virus' existence under a microscope. Over the course of several questions and answers, we gained greater perspective on the current status of HIV/AIDS in this village. Fortunately, no one actually seemed to know of local villagers affected by the illness, making prevention education all the more important.

As the health session came to a close, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Kabala to reconvene with the other half of our group. I think most would agree our village stay was one of the highlights of our time in Sierra Leone.

Students from the Youth Rehabilitation Project process cassava pulp for future sale.

That afternoon, the group visited a Youth Rehabilitation Project where CARE provides supplies and training for small micro-business operations among at-risk youth. The handful of project participants present demonstrated the process of cleaning, peeling, and processing the cassava for sale in the market. The youth are also taught how to make various juices for sale. The project director hopes to acquire more materials, and work with even more unemployed youth.

That evening, we had the option of hiking up Wara Wara mountain or visiting a local school. I chose to visit the local school which had not been built by CARE, and in many ways provided a stark contrast to CARE's methods. While the facilities were extremely modern, I left the visit concerned about the sustainability of the project, funded by Italian donors. The school administer with whom we met had no long term plans for the school’s continual funding, and he did not seem concerned about gaining government affiliation for the long-term sustainability or financial support of the school. Furthermore, when we questioned him about the community's involvement with the school, it became evident that much of the developments were dictated externally. This visit reinforced my confidence in CARE's approach to localized development and commitment to sustainability.

That afternoon, we concluded our day by meeting with George and the other staff of the CARE Kabala office. George had proved over and over again to be one of the most inspirational leaders I met in Sierra Leone. He ended our visit by poignantly summarizing what many of us had been thinking about development and CARE's work. "The greatest gift you can give people is the freedom of choice."