Joanne Up Country

I had only spent one week in Sierra Leone when I was lucky enough to get the chance to go up-country or ‘up-line’ as its also known in Krio.  Leaving Freetown was an adventure in itself, taking well over 2 hours to escape the crazy Freetown traffic.  As I was soon to discover life in the provinces is much, much quieter than Freetown living.  First stop was Bo. Bo is the second city, and whilst nowhere near the manic nature of Freetown it was still pretty big.  My week in Bo was spent zooming around on a motorbike – the preferred mode of transport in Bo. We visited lots of schools to do sensitization work on HIV/AIDS and then co-ordinated a Saturday workshop with 180 students. Working for a small local NGO has one major advantage - you really get hands-on experience of all aspects of project work. At the last minute I had to step in as a facilitator on life skills and peer education.  It was at this point that I learned my most valuable lesson so far – when in doubt just smile, dance and enjoy yourself.  A major means of communication in sweet Salone is dancing and it really works.  If there’s one thing Salone people can do better than anyone else it’s dancing – so be prepared to shake you bootie.  I was sad leaving Bo, and not at all prepared for how up-country I was about to go.

My home for the next two weeks was to be Potoru in the Pujehun District in the Southern Province. Potoru is actually quite a big town, however its pace of life is so relaxed that you would be forgiven for thinking it was tiny. Having learned some basic Mende in Bo, and having been rechristened Kema Kamara I spent my time in Potoru chatting to absolutely everyone, and of course doing some work!!! I was definitely the most popular I have ever been in my life. In Potoru everyone really is extremely welcoming and friendly.

I would be lying if I said it was rosy 100% of the time. Sometimes frustration sets in – when generators don’t work and vehicles break down. However if you step back and look at the people around you, if you carry a bucket of water on your head and see how much amusement you cause these frustrations really do disappear. And if you dance you can even forget the frustrations even existed!

One thing that really struck me about Potoru was the kids. There is no electricity at all in Potoru and it gets dark about 7pm. Yet these kids study furiously by candlelight. They are eager to learn more, eager to better themselves, and inevitably eager to better Sierra Leone. Being in Potoru really gave me a sense of what development work is really about. It is not about the big white landrovers, and the sitting at my desk in front of a computer. It is about communities like Potoru, and kids like the ones I have met there. If children are the future, and I believe they are, then the future of Sierra Leone is definitely bright, and I am delighted to have been involved in it.