Meghan's experience with PCSL

As a volunteer for Peace Child, I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences, most of them unexpected. By now I’ve done everything from teaching ICT courses to repairing a broken generator. In Sierra Leone, you never know when you wake up in the morning what the day will bring, but you do know it’ll be an adventure!

My primary responsibility when I first arrived here was to write funding proposals for Peace Child. In researching the background of the different problems facing Sierra Leone today, I developed a better understanding of the people who live here; I also began to comprehend the very different way business is conducted in West Africa. It has been a challenge sometimes seeing situations from the viewpoints of the locals, but often once that bridge is gapped, real progress can be made.

After I had been in Sierra Leone about two months, I took on another responsibility, that of ICT teacher. Two classes of 8 students each look to me to give them the knowledge they need to be computer literate and—I hope—the edge they need to be hired for a job. It is great to write a proposal that could affect thousands if approved, but there is something even more rewarding about the one-on-one contribution, being able to see the impact I am making for individuals I have come to know and like.

In November, Peace Child also put together a Stakeholders Meeting, the organization of which I helped to coordinate. There was a lot of hard work and a few mad scrambles, but in the end, seeing teachers and youths and women’s leaders and MPs all come together and then spend real time truly listening to and discussing each other’s viewpoints was incredible. In some cases, this was the first time youth and women’s leaders had even been able to meet their representatives, much less bring important issues to light.

December brought my involvement in the Mandela project to renovate toilet and shower facilities in their community in Freetown. I oversaw the second and third phases of the project, monitoring the progress these amazing youths were making to improve their own lives. On a weekly (and sometimes more often) basis, I headed out to Kissy to see how construction was going, consult on next steps, and administer funds. The end result far exceeded all our expectations, and I’d love the opportunity to work again with the Mandela Youths.

The holidays in Sierra Leone were something very new. While much of the ex-pat community here clears out, many Sierra Leoneans return to their native country from their new homes in the UK, USA, and elsewhere. And they really know how to party! There was also plenty of time for lounging on the beach and exploring the markets in Freetown.

Now that the New Year has begun, we are ramping up our work on the Global Funds HIV Sensitization and the Westminster Project. I’ve been working to create t-shirt designs and produce manuals for our sensitizations. With the addition to our staff of two new volunteers and four interns from a local college, I’ve also been doing a lot of training! It’s fun to pass on all the knowledge I’ve learned during my time here, and to begin to see others enjoying this work as much as I do. I can’t wait to see what will happen next!