A new school for Kabala

One!

2009-11-10T02:53:00.002-04:00

I recently had an amazing experience. Not only did I get to see U2 in concert once again, this time from the front rows, but I was able to be on stage during the singing of the song 'Walk On' wearing the mask of Burmese political Aung San Suu Kyi. So I was one of maybe 70 or 80 people ringing the massive stage. It was nevertheless an amazing experience. One I got to share with my brother Joshua and my cousin Peter. A little later before the band played the song ONE. they played this clip on the big screen. I don't know how to embed video so I'll give you a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-YmQznWpAs

These are the words.

"the same people who marched for civil rights in the united states are
the same people who protested apartheid in south africa, who are the
same people who worked for peace in ireland , and are the same people
who fought against that slavery in the jubilee year 2000, who are the
same beautiful people that I see when I look around this place tonight
in 360 degrees. We are those people! We are the same person! Because
our voices were heard millions more of our brothers and sisters are
alive, thanks to the miracle of aids drugs and malaria drugs. Ahhhh.
They will be doctors, they will be nurses, they will be scientists who
will live to solve GREAT problems. Yes there are many obstacles, of
course there are always roadblocks in the way of justice. But god will
put a wind at our back and a rising road ahead if we work with each
other as ONE, One."

Desmond Tutu 'the Arch'

The Melissens Trip!

2008-09-17T12:16:00.003-03:00

Hey all,
If you're interested in what's going on in Kabala,
Check out the Melissen's stories about their life there so far...
they've added some pictures as well.

http://themelissens.blogspot.com/

Farewells Again

2008-07-15T06:21:00.003-03:00

The hard part as always. Saying goodbye to these beautiful people. Yesterday was a day of celebrating and thanksgiving. We had dinner at the church with friends with much singing, dancing and prayers and lots of rice to share. We are packed up and on our way out of Kabala. We will spend a few days with Dr. Jo Kuyvenhoven in Freetown before we leave on Friday.

As we left school this morning there was a long queue of parents wanting to register their children of grade one and the few spots in 2-5. The school will be at 150 by September. This has been a very sweet time for us but our hearts are turning toward home. Little Jonas is making slow but steady recovery at Children's. We are eager to see them all. Thank you for your prayers. Hoping to see you all soon.

School Closing

2008-07-11T13:50:00.003-03:00

We were greeted by good news today when we opened emails. Lots of reason for thanks as it seems that healing is happening for the Struyk boys. Our hearts and prayers remain with them. We are eager to share with our friends what all of this praying around the world is doing. God is good.

We had our last official day at school today. We had a three hour meeting of the CTA, the Community and Teachers Association. Very good to see a crowd of teachers. We were able to share our vision for Christian education. Jenny talked about the good things that are happening in the classrooms here. The parents are so pleased with what they see happening here. I was very humbled by these beautiful and grateful people. This means so much and they are so full of hope.

Monday they will hand out report cards (grey sheets) and celebrate July birthdays. Jenny went to Senakadugu on the back of a motor bike with Kumba this afternoon and I had a meeting with JT and the security and maintenance staff. We also had a bit of down time with JT this afternoon. What an amazing guy. I can't imagine that we could have had a better principal. There are many things to think about for the future and many things to discuss when we get back, but I must say that we are really pleased with what was accomplished so far this year. There needs to be continual discussion about sustainability and long term ownership. There is a deep desire to make that happen but complex given the depth of poverty in this part of the world. As they say here, "small, small." Little by little. These things are not in our hands.

We are looking for a bit of a break. I am preaching Sunday and still need to do some work on the sermon. There is a school for the blind that we want to see as well. Too much to do. We leave Tuesday morning for Freetown.

Prayers for Cal and Anita and Their Boys

2008-07-10T07:14:00.004-03:00

We answered our emails with some rather shocking news yesterday. Jenny's sister Anita and husband Cal and their four children were in a serious accident on their return trip from Vancouver to Terrace. Cal, Anita and Eryn are doing OK but the boys Tyler, Nathan and Jonas sustained more serious injury and were flown to Children's Hospital in Vancouver. We are most worried about Jonas who has some serious head and neck injuries. The two older boys are awaiting some surgery. Kabala feels like a great distance from Vancouver today. The teachers and children were gathered for prayer yesterday and I can't imagine a more passionate room of praying hearts. Please hold this family in your prayer and pray for complete recovery.

Otherwise we are well. School closes tomorrow. Today we will spend some time at the clinic to do some preperatory work for Adrienne who will work there. There will be a meeting of parents tomorrow and then year one will come to a close. It is very encouraging to see the this is the only school in session in Kabala. They are taking this task very seriously and we see the noticeable difference that it is making.

Into the Details

2008-07-08T12:46:00.003-03:00

It was another day of working through some of the details of the past school year. We are putting together the budget for next year and making adjustments. The world food prices have wreaked havoc with people's personal budgets. Rice, which is the staple food here has more than doubled in one year. From 60,000 Leones to 135,000. Everyone is raising the price of every other commodity saying things like, "Well look at the price of rice, the price of this is rising also." The people are at the mercy of these larger trends. This is also the time of lowest supply of all things. Everyone is in the midst of planting. Rainy season does not mean plenty. We will try to address some of these challenges. It also impacts people's ability to pay fees of course. I am reminded of the bounty in which we live, too often taken for granted. Life is cut to the bone here. Jenny has been spending more time in classrooms today getting things ready for the SCS partners back home. Apologies for the lack of photos. They won't attach in the form I have them and I can't seem to compress them.

A Day of Meetings

2008-07-07T12:29:00.005-03:00

Today we held a meeting of the SMC, the school management committee or school board as it is called here. This means calling people from their regular jobs for a full day of meetings. It went very well and we accomplished much. They ask good questions and give a lot of good advice and direction to JT the principal. We did some planning for the future as well as reviewing what seems to have been a very successful first year. There will be a meeting with the parents this Friday and then they will come back on Monday to receive their children's report cards. And unlike us it seems the new year gets started pretty quick with new registrations and exams for potential new students. This will determine whether or not they get accepted or at what grade level.

Sunday was a wonderful day of worshiping with this community. John had an exellent sermon about the man at the pool of Siloam. He does such a great job of preaching and doing development work at the same time. One reason the man did not get into the pool to be healed is that in 38 years he has not moved himself any closer to the edge. There is a lesson there. We got to church at 9.30 for Sunday school and didn't get home till 1.30. We did some lazing around before dinner and then went to watch a football game. The team, all in blue, due to Jordan's donation of jerseys. They looked sharp and played to a 0 0 draw.

Jenny spent most of her time in the classes today working on bookmarks for the students from Surrey Christian School. They were thrilled to receive the ones from their partners in SCS.

Council Election Day in Kabala

2008-07-05T13:05:00.004-03:00

It is a rather quiet Saturday in Kabala today. We walked to the market this morning and it was not the usual bustle that Kabala experiences on a Saturday. It is election day in SL for council positions, sort of like electing members of parliament in Canada. There is a larger than usual presence of policemen and observers and also a number of military police added in for show. A little strange to see people carrying automatic weapons in the open. We then walked to JT, the Headmaster's place to see where he lives and visit for a while. Then to the tailor for some measurements and then home again. We are enjoying a bit of a slower pace today. The week was busy and so will next be. We begin with an important school board meeting Monday. Lots on the agenda. It was another wet rainy night and there are lots of muddy puddles to jump but we are getting around and have the use of one of the 4X4's which helps. We are off to a soccer game.

lightning

2008-07-04T14:26:00.002-03:00

Last night we had a terrific lightning show. The whole sky lit up for seconds at a time and then torrential rains. The whole day was beautiful; a day of connecting with JT and the staff, visiting with children in classes for stories and lots of laughter and excitment. What a treat to be here. We feel much welcomed and honored. Last night a feast for us hosted by Johanna Kuyvenhoven. The whole thing cost a sacrificial goat and a lot of rice. Singing, dancing and lovely speeches and stories. This school means so much in this community, so much so that it is difficult to put into words. We are ready for a bit of down time. We have been working through some budget questions and preparing for the SMC meeting on Monday. There much to do and think about and both of us lie at night with our heads swimming with questions, possibilities and thoughts. But all is well and the plans are being laid to end this school year and plan for the next.

Oh Can it Rain

2008-07-04T13:03:00.002-03:00

School in the Rainy Season

2008-07-02T14:54:00.001-03:00

Another day at CRC Primary School Kabala. Things are well here at school and we are well also. It rained all night, heavily but as we walked to school the last showers were ending and the sun was coming out on a beautiful day here surrounded by the hills in Kabala Sierra Leone. The day was spent in organizing some of the materials that we were able to bring, reading stories to the children, and sitting with JT to organize an agenda for the School Management committee and to talk together about the future of the school, next year’s budget and the many other details of good things happening here that he is so eager to share. The district education inspector came and was full of praise for the school and is holding it up as a model for the community. He wants to invite government representatives to come and see it. He was also full of praise for JT the Headmaster and the quality of teaching going on. But it continues to strike us so profoundly that life is hard here. Nothing comes easy and poverty is very complex. We saw little Nyima last night; still shy and beautiful. Her mom was in a great deal of pain from a foot injury and infection. Quite worrisome. Please pray for these wonderful and resilient people.

Canada Day In Kabala

2008-07-01T09:48:00.006-03:00

Our hearts are full!! What else can we say except that we are humbled to see this thing that has come together so wonderfully in this beautiful part of world. We were greeted yesterday noon by a mob of 120 children in blue and pink who had heard that we were on our way and would greet them before the school day ended. We left Freetown at 6.30 am in the morning and headed up north as the rainy season made itself felt; downpours at times and the road ahead a stream of red water 6 inches deep and 20 feet wide. The sun broke through now and again and we are falling under the spell of this tropical rain forest once again.

The children sang their hearts out for us and gave us a spirited and lively display of all the things they are learning. They seem so proud to be students at this school and though I had my doubts about the pink and blue I must say it really stands out. This morning as we made our way to school we could spot them coming from the various lanes and paths toward CRC Primary. The school seems to be the only one that is seriously in session and JT and the staff are determined that their students will do well on the year end tests. So great for us to see them as well even though the regular classes have stopped. We will have lots of opportunity to be with them.

Everyone wants to extend warmest greetings to Kabala Team #1, Jordan, Hannah, Chrissy, Evelyn, Melanie and Leah. They loved all the pictures and cards and are greatful that you remembered them. Everyone is asking about you and about Asher. There are still guys here from the construction crews who want to know about Gino and Hans. The friendships that are growing here are by far the best gift to us all. There is such a sense of pride and amazement about the school.

This morning we had to stand on the flag podium as the Canadian and Sierra Leonian flags were raised and anthems sung. Quite wonderful on this Canada Day to see children singing about the country they love. And to have them sing their hearts out on the Canadian anthem as well. To think about what these children could mean for SL is quite overwhelming. God keep this Land, glorious and free. May He stand guard over it, always.

Ending Year One in Kabala

2008-06-26T16:54:00.002-03:00

Jenny and I are leaving for Kabala on Saturday and will be visiting the school as it ends its first year of operation. We feel blessed to be there for this important event. We will be able to spend time with the children until school lets out on July 10 after which time we will meet with teachers and the School Management Committee and do some planning for the future. We are excited to pave the way for Johan and Adrienne Melissen who will arrive in late August to take up teaching and nursing positions in Kabala.

Message of Hope

2008-05-21T02:41:00.005-03:00

Hey guys, finally got the video working!

This video only portrays a glimpse of the hope this school is giving these kids.
I can't even begin to describe what an incredible impact it made on my life to witness the tangible hope this school is bringing to this town. It is absolutely unbelievable that people who don't even send their kids to this school began crying & hugging me when they were told that I helped build CRC Primary. This school is changing more lives than we will ever be fully able to comprehend.
I am excited to see how far it will have come when I go back "home" in a couple years!

Sponsorships - Year Number Two

2008-05-05T17:45:00.005-03:00

Just as we are nearing the end of another school year, so is the first year of CRC Primary Kabala coming to an end . The school year is officially over in the second week of July as the rainy season is in full bloom in the country and children will be away from school till the middle of September. The first year of operations has been very successful from a financial point of view. Though parents do pay fees to send their children to the school, and they pay somewhat higher fees to attend our partner school, in fact this falls far short of what it actually cost to successfully operate a school. On top of this challenge, we are paying teachers considerably more than their public school counterparts.

The funds that we raise do not follow one particular child. We have about 120 children in the school. Next year we will add Grade 5 raising the numbers to approximately 150. The school employs a principal, 4 certified teachers, several cooks to prepare the noon meal, day and night security, a maintenance person and an administrative assistant as well as a part time bookkeeper. The operational expenses include many of the same expenses that we have in our schools though the standard of living stretches those dollars much further. Your sponsorship will enable a child to go to school for a year at a school where things are very different from the norm. For $225 a child is getting an education that is really making a difference.

Home is where the heart is - back in Kabala!

2008-03-31T17:28:00.002-03:00

We are safely home; and needless to say; had an incredible & life changing journey.
Getting home was very hectic - almost missed some flights, and Jordan's jambee got taken away from him in Toronto - so we are happy to be safe at home at last. However, I know there is a big hole in my heart where my friends and family from Kabala are. It is hard to come home when you feel as if there is now two homes: a foreign one back here in BC, and one where you left your heart, over 3000 miles away in Kabala. I am already excited to travel back and be reunited with my friends & family there. No matter how far away we are; the people of Kabala will always be in our hearts. One of the most important things we learned from this trip is to look at what really matters: God;family;friends. Everything else comes after that. It is still amazing to me how these people who had never met us before could become our very best friends in less than 2 weeks. They opened their hearts to us and showered us with love & blessings from God on high. God is on the move in Africa - and in B.C. - because we will never be the same again. God Bless to our loved ones in Kabala & to all those who helped build this school - it has changed more lives than we will ever be able to fully comprehend.

In Christ;
Krissi

A cool day in Kabala (kitchen in progress)

2008-03-25T08:15:00.004-03:00

Dear Kabala friends,
Today is Tuesday and we are moving to African time. This is a bit of a stretch to me, because I usually approach each day with an attitude of "what can I bring to this day" rather than "what will this day bring to me". I'm learning. Plans can change at any time. However, we are enjoying the people and each new day brings more familiarity with those we have already met and with the culture here. We are becoming a little less of a peculiarity, although we still frequently hear cries of "white man, white man" as we walk or drive through the town. Yesterday we teachers went to the school and we worked in the resource (supply) room. We unpacked the missing suitcase of supplies and spent the morning reorganizing the supplies that they have now. It's becoming impressive! We sorted it so that it could be stored in a most usable way. The teachers commented that although it's wonderful to recieve materials, they also need to be taught how to use them. We've done that for much of what we brought and organizing it by subject will help, I'm sure. It seems that Math supplies (manipulatives) are least abundant, and we can always add to their supply of library books. Tonight the three teachers are being interviewed on Kabala radio!!!! Steven, the gr. 3 teacher is also a radio dj, so he set us up. He is passionate about impacting all of Sierra Leone, not just the CRC school in Kabala. We're kind of nervous, but hey, why not? It might be translated into Krio as we go, if necessary. Anyways, for the rest of the week we are hoping still to help out at the school, but it is difficult because the classrooms are being re-cemented by contractors. This is a day to day discovery! We had hoped to paint the classrooms but the cement needs time to dry. So, everyone, we are enjoying a cool day for a change. Easter was a big day, with church, river baptisms of 34 children and adults and communion served from the seat of a motorcycle! We have pictures to prove it! So, we hope to update the blog once more before heading for home. Greetings from the team! Stay well, Evelyn

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T12:16:00.006-03:00

Happy Easter everyone! We are in the midst of celebrating Easter with the CRC in Kabala. They had a church service every evening from Monday to Thursday. Friday morning, all of the churchs in Kabala joined together for a celebration in the town centre. We had church on the main traffic circle in town. There was tonnes of singing and dancing and even a sermon as the motorbikes zipped around us. Unfortunately, we were outside longer than we thought and most of us got a bit of a sunburn.
This week we also had the opportunity to visit Loma Secondary School. This school was started by a christian organization in 1979, but the school has not heard from them since the war. We were asked to speak to the students at their morning assembly, which was much more inimidating than speaking to 100 primary students (and they laughed at my accent :). There classrooms are incredibly crowded. In one class, we counted 123 students. They sit three to a desk and fill the classroom from wall to wall. The classrooms have virtually no materials, so something like a scientific experiment or silent reading is completely out of the question. The principal told us that a teacher may be able to hold the attention of the students at the front of the room, but the rest of the class is probably daydreaming, bullying each other or even gambling. It really helps us understand why CRC Primary is considered a model school. JT Koroma told us that CRC Primary is one of the only schools in Kabala that is even giving out report cards to their students. This school is doing so much good in this community, but it will continue to need lots of support so that it does not become like everyone else.
Melanie

Last day of School

2008-03-20T11:27:00.003-03:00

We have spent the last week in the classes at the CRC Primary School. We have been quite involved as it is report card week for the teachers. We have all spent time in every class doing everything from reading stories to writting letter to SCS kids to parachuting and of course singing. We have all had Kumbaya stuck in our heads for the last 3 days! We have seen many differences but also many similarities. Primary school behaviour seems to be universal :) Today was our last day at the school as they are closed for Easter Break. We got to meet some of the parents of the students and we assisted in handing out report cards. The days ended with a 2 big football games...boys against boys and girls against girls. The kids were wearing their new jerseys. It was sad to see them go but we had a great time together. The teachers also got to spend some time over the last couple of days to share ideas and resources with the teachers of CRC Primary Kabala.
On a more personal note I have had the priviledge of staying with the Sesay family near the school. I am getting good at using a bucket to wash but I always make sure I use the outdoor washroom before dark (to avoid the spiders) They have 21 people living in their house and they all have interesting stories. There are only four children there that are the children of Kumba and Joseph. The rest are distant families members or kids from the villages who come to stay so they can go to school. They are an amazing familiy and I have learned a lot about sacrafice for the greater good. I talked to one of the boys who lost his father to the rebels and another who lost both parents to disease. We need more families like the Sesays who will create opportunities for children in the community.
On a lighter note we are all well and ready for our last week here.
Thanks for your continued prayers,
Leah Meyer
PS Sorry for no picture today

Its warm!

2008-03-17T12:30:00.002-03:00

Wow the past weekend flew by. We all went to Yarah to attend church and experience 6 baptisms...pretty amazing! The road to Yarah is INSANELY bumpy and many times we doubted if we were going to make it. The title of this blog has two meanings. While we were in Yarah, Kumba make us some cake in the evening after we arrived. Jordan was especially giddy to eat the cake and said the now famous words, "its warm!" Also the weather here has been VERY hot although last night we had a pretty serious rain/wind storm. Today we went to the school and taught lessons about Canada and played with the parachute which made the kids crazy! We are having an awesome time although the mosquito bites are starting to add up.
God bless from sunny Kabala,
Hannah

Whitey Man

2008-03-13T12:33:00.002-03:00

Today was an early morning, which turns out for the better as we don't get baked by the sun from the moment we wake up. We woke up at around 6:30 and had some breakfast. We then headed down for our first day at the school. School started at 8:20 with an assembly. All the kids lined up in rows for some singing and dancing. This was followed by J.T. Koroma, the headmaster, introducing us. All the kids were very happy to see us all there and greeted us with the open arms that all the Sierra Leoneons have showed us so far. The people here are truly amazing, and the lifestyle is very social. Krissi's homestay, Robert Jawara drove us to school this morning and we must have stopped ten times to greet people. We saw the hospital, the post office, the prison, the cemetary, and the district office on the way today. While at the school we unloaded and organized all the things that we brought for the school. These things consisted of: clothes, books, frisbees, bubbles, markers, pens, pencils, crayons, pinneys, and other small toys.

Tomorow morning we will be presenting all these things to the kids. Krissi, Hannah and I spent a large portion of the day taking pictures of each kid and asking them questions so the sponorship program can grow,while Evelyn gave out some letters she had from the students at SCS.

One thing that was brought to our attention before we came was that we would be reffered to as "Whitey man" and this is very true! Children run around the streets yelling "Whitey man whitey man!" But what saddens me is that they also say "Give me money." In Freetown we were told by a man that white people were only good for money, so if we did not have any we should leave. This image that the white man is only for money troubles me, but I hope to be a part of changing the way we are viewed in this beautiful country.

The trip thus far has been very eye opening and surely not easy. There have been many tears shed and lives changed. I hope that by the end of this trip we have made a positive impact on the school we have built, as well as the community that surrounds it.

With all our love,

Jordan

Travel is Complete!!

2008-03-12T08:50:00.004-03:00

pic of us in Kabala, at the CES office balcony

We have safely arrived in Kabala after a couple LONG days of travelling. We haven't been in the same place for over a day yet, so we're pretty excited to finally be staying somewhere we won't have to leave in a few hours. Freetown was very interesting. The airport was an adventure on it's own: once we arrived, people were taking our bags for us without even asking, and once we were outside we were bombarded with marriage proposals and people asking for money. It was a very hard experience. When they were loading up our bags, one guy told us that "This is the way it should be: we work for you white people and you pay us." That's a pretty heartbreaking thing to hear, and I definately had a bit of a break down. After that, we arrived fairly late in Freetown so we checked into Jay's Guest house and we all got our own room! Melanie and our driver Bilalie went to go find some food and came back with chicken and fries! We woke up the next day and headed into town with Bobson, a CES Freetown Representative. We first went to exchange money which ended up happening right through the van window! After we got our money we went into town to buy some mosquito nets, as our own got lost at the airport. The driving in Sierra Leone is very exciting - there are no stop signs or stoplights, and you can drive any speed you want and pass anytime you want. It seems the only rule is that you have to honk constantly, so it's pretty crazy! Freetown was INCREDIBLY busy - people everywhere, both walking and driving, and there are markets almost everywhere you go. Nothing anyone explained to us could have prepared us for this trip, as it seems almost everywhere you go, poverty has hit really hard. It's crazy how Africa has the ability to break your heart & open it at the same time, but it does.

Yesterday I had another pretty crazy experience. When we were waiting at our guest house for the car to take us to Freetown, I went downstairs to talk to the guard and a couple of the workers. We sat there and talked for almost an hour, and afterwards one of them asked me to go to the market - which is something I shouldn't have done without asking, but as we all know, when I get really emotionally overwhelmed, I don't think very straight. (I'm sorry guys..my mistake). However, despite that, I am glad I went, because on the way back from the market, the two guys I was walking with told me something very hard to hear. They said I was the first white person they had ever met that had ever talked to them like friends, and the first white person to be really genuinely nice to them. This broke my heart - they told me how most white people they meet just come here to tour and the most they say is "take this bag up to my room". It's hard to accept that your own culture has made so many mistakes, but that's why we are here, to change the way we see the world, and the way the rest of the world sees us. How can someone I just walked to the market with call me his best friend? I don't know, but that's just how amazing these people are.

For now, we are safely in Kabala, with our host families. Everyone here is amazing, and we're excited to go to the school and meet the kids. We'll write more later!

With God's love from Kabala,
Krissi

safely arrived

2008-03-10T20:25:00.002-03:00

we have received word that the group has safely arrived in Freetown. They called from Lungi to say they were on their way over on the Kissy Ferry to Freetown. I can just imagine the sights and sounds of their first hours in Africa! It is a beautiful ride through the country over the water, and through the crowds of the city. Praise the living God! Hallelujah!

New blogs forthcoming..

2008-03-04T16:12:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the long wait. I am in the middle of my final thesis semester and am incredibly busy. It is going well. But as exciting as me being finished is that there are 6 people heading to Kabala in a few weeks time to spend over two weeks at the school. There are three students and three teachers from FVCHS and SCS. Hopefully they will be able to use this address to post images to the blog from.

I'll include a few pictures from my thesis work because obviously I have no new photos since my journey to Kabala in January. One is a model of standardized rammed earth formwork I am working on. The other a sideways photo of a potential water tower design. Fragments of the larger picture of my thesis which is becoming clearer to me and that I will hopefully be able to share with you as well. (sorry I'm too busy to change it now)

a world away

2008-01-20T11:26:00.000-04:00

Sitting in my studio at school the snow is coming down outside and over 3 inches have already collected on the ground. It reminds me of the many times I have tried to explain to students in Kabala how the 'cold' they are experiencing at this time of year is nothing compared to the cold in North America.
The last few days at school were wonderful. I got to spur on orange house for the upcoming sport this spring. I promised them all that I will be back. When I don't know! But I am sure I will be back.
There is so much potential for this school. For new development, for producing excellent work, and for graduating wonderful students. Just look at their faces! The community in Kabala is so proud of their accomplishment in building this school and of the children that attend it.

greetings!!

2008-01-10T05:43:00.000-04:00

I need to extend so many greetings to all the partners of this project on the other side of the ocean in Canada the US and elsewhere. Students and teachers continually express their sincere thanks and prayers for all of you. There are still some significant things to be done to complete the school as it exists right now. A temporary kitchen will be built in the next weeks to begin the food program. The latrines will also be begun again. In addition there is still furniture to be built and some finishing work to be done.
Yesterday I met with the Paramount Chief to give greetings and present him with a map of the town. While he expressed his thanks, he also presented a challenge. To begin a primary school that has high standards and then let those children go back into the existing secondary schools would be a futile endeavour. So he has given a challenge to us to be able to build a secondary school for those children to complete their schooling in. And he is willing to provide the necessary land for us to be able to do so. He is one of many people here who have also invested themselves and their children in this. The school truly has the ability to make a difference in the district and in the country.

meetings and more meetings

2008-01-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

trying to wrap things up here in Kabala with a few days left. Had a productive meeting with the School management committee. Also managed to 'snap' all the children present at school today! Not individually like they had wanted but it was a hastle enough as it was. Trying to get kids to 'laugh small' so we wouldn't see the usually somber expressions for the camera. The girl on the right has a brilliant smile... this is as much as I could get. The clearing of the field is coming along very well. Tomorrow I will hopefully do more particular measurements of the site for topography etc. to help with my Thesis design work.
Sorry for the small (and fuzzy) pictures. My normal photo editing programs are down, along with many other computer functions (any mac help for "carbon library" problems??)

small blessings, big blessings

2008-01-07T10:54:00.000-04:00

They chant that this is the CRC Primary a very "powerful" school as they march to the classrooms. Being the first day back the classes are still lacking students, but by tomorrow they will be full again. This is partly for the promise that I will "snap them all, na one one" (by themselves)! The Class 1 students are rascals but apparently they are doing so well. Some very inquisitive and brilliant children in all the classes. It was hard to express (to the children or to you) what it is like to see them occupying these buildings that I helped to bring about. I guess each person who has given to the project in different ways sees the fulfillment of their commitments every day in various parts of the school.
To the children of Surrey Christian School, the kids here are so excited to have receive letters from you and are looking forward to making drawings and letters to send back to you. They really see their partners in Canada and the U.S. as true friends for you committment to them.
There is still plenty to be improved and bring the school up to its full potential. These are things that the school staff, myself and others will be working on throughout this new year. Plans to finish what has begun, and to dream dreams for the future development.
The school field is being enlarged in both directions. Generous gifts have made possible the erection of goal posts, flag poles and some other sports equipment for the school. These efforts will be undertaken in the next weeks. There are four 'houses' that will be created in the new year for these sporting events. Orange, Red, Green, and Blue. They have also been given names - as yet undisclosed. (similar to my AD Stars - so the patrons of the houses will need to be asked for their acceptance).
Speaking of the AD Stars - I have not yet seen them play but I have heard good things about their play. They have registered with the district office (among about 20 other teams) and will therefor be informed of all 'galas' that are being played. At the same time, I realize that when the odd scrap breaks out (and I shouldn't say 'odd' because it happens all the time) the AD on the jersey refers to me and reflects on me. So I am making sure that the conduct of the players will continue to be worthy of the jersey, even at the cost of a few games. There were many village to village competitions over the holidays. Unfortunately most of whatI heard about any of them was how they ended in big disputes, scraps, or brawls. What can I say, they take football seriously!

relearning what it means to go "small small"

2008-01-04T05:12:00.000-04:00

so while I had ambitious plans to have many things done by this weekend and relax a bit next week that will not happen! I guess that because I am missing a week of school this coming week I should really be working hard then anyway. So much to think about and try coordinate and people to meet with! Today I am travelling to Mapaki to meet with some fellow canadians doing some amazing work there with organizations called Centre for Peace and Development and also Peaceful Schools International. Carolyn VanGurp has helped to set up the first remote village internet connection in Sierra Leone (solar powered). I am excited to see their work and learn from it together.
The pictures are from New Years and one from an evening spent playing around with a flashlight on my phone and my camera. Kabala is slowly emptying of people from the new years celebrations. Things will return to their normal pace on monday. I am also feeling like I have been here longer than 5 days!

Christmas in Vancouver.... New Years in Kabala, Sierra Leone

2008-01-02T06:02:00.000-04:00

I have now been in Sierra Leone for almost four days. I went from wet snow in vancouver to dry weather and 25 degrees! People think I am crazy here because I don't feel the cold. The winds are blowing through Kabala so it gets 'cold' in the evenings.
After arriving Sunday I went to visit the school. It is no longer the 'site.' It is now a real school and it is amazing! And that is without any students around. I cannot wait until monday when the students will all return from the holidays. I am hoping to spend long hours just walking around the school and seeing the children in classes and dreaming bigger dreams for developing the school and the area around it.
Unfortunately the internet here is not working great and I cannot load pictures of the school right now.
New years Eve was spent greeting many people. There were a long line of visitors to the house, and I took the afternoon to visit various homes in Kabala. There is not a big party during the evening. The church had a midnight service. Then on New Years morning everyone in town prepares to climb the hill above Kabala. Wara Wara Mountain. It was incredible. The town is buzzing with visitors from other parts of the country and abroad. Thousands of people climbed the hill. Probably 5-10 thousand people. Everyone got changed at the top into their nice clothes and then people milled about for hours until the sun began to set. Unfortunately the artists Dry Eye Crew were late coming up the hill and did not perform while I was there. So as it was getting dark we returned through the forest with the dust rising up through the trees as hundreds of kids climbed, walked, ran, stumbled, fell, and rolled down the mountain. A very memorable new years day.
Now I am thinking of all the things I would love to get done before I leave. Some for the school, some for my research.
Nevertheless it is good just to be back in this community.

its for real

2007-11-15T17:37:00.000-04:00

Photos of school in progress continue to come into my mailbox unexpectedly. Every time I am amazed at these children really going to school here. It is not a dream or a project. It is real! And there are textbooks, and resources in the resource centre! Still some shelves to be filled.

Thinking of Kabala

2007-11-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

I think what happens for some when they travel to places like Sierra Leone and have experiences like mine is that when you leave you end up thinking more about the place rather than less! I guess the fact that my Thesis work is a continuation of my work there makes this unavoidable. I have been doing much exciting reading and looked at many case studies working in similar situations. We have a lot to learn, but have also been privileged in the way the construction and the rest of the project has come about. I am beginning some design work by studying many of the building types and settlment patterns that I was aware of but never drew while in Sierra Leone. Having a knowledge of the available materials and trades will be extremely important to the development of a design for the thesis that fits well with the building we have already built. The images are drawings first of the neighbourhood I lived in in Kabala - Bankolia. This is compared to Tengbeh Town, right in the centre of Freetown where the corrugated homes go right down to the edge of the stream.
My visa is in the mail. I have three week left of school. Then three weeks to prepare at home before I go to Kabala for two weeks. I am excited to return there, but also to take that and turn it into a real useful design for the future over the next few months here at Dalhousie.

Back to Africa

2007-10-28T14:38:00.000-03:00

school continues at the CRC Primary Kabala.
I am excited that I will be returning to Kabala over the Christmas Break! My thesis work here at Dalhousie is concerned with developing or trying out a method for design and construction in development projects like this one in Sierra Leone. In addition to learning from the last 10 months working on this project I am hoping to design potential future construction on this school and elsewhere in Kabala as part of the program of the school. Athough it will be a theoretical endeavour, I hope that the design in the end is a useful tool to use in any future building with the CRC primary (or secondary??) school. So in addition to a very joyous reunion when I return to Kabala, I plan to survey potential building sites (including the current one) see how the school is working and being used, and observe more local construction techniques in Kabala and in the villages that might aid in reducing the use of concrete and steel in the buildings. It is incredible to still be working on project so close to my heart even half way around the world.
the pictures aren't loading ...so that will have to wait

endings beginnings

2007-10-10T23:06:00.000-03:00

School began at the CRC Primary School in Kabala on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007! This opening brings to close the introductory chapter of what should be the long story of Christian nurture in Kabala. The work that had begun so much earlier with the acquisition of the property, the groundbreaking ceremony, digging the footings, putting up the walls and roof, and finally making the furniture and the chalkboards and securing teachers. CRC Primary School Kabala is now a reality!! There was a passion for an alternative in education. That soon gave way to action for we know that when passion disappears there will not be much serious energy. This school became a reality as people on both sides of the ocean between them had a wide-eyed commitment and interest and put the "hand to the plow." A hope became reality. We are ordained of God to be people of hope. Hope is what we are called to do because it is God's community invited to be in God's Story-the ultimate story of hope.
We are back in BC. What a great time we had in Sierra Leone. What a delight to be present at the opening of the school! The partnership of Fraser Valley Christian High School, Surrey Christian School, complemented by the work of some others who are helping with such things as adult literacy, all of these with the Christian community of Kabala is dynamic. And so we journey together. We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travelers toward truth and light. We are always on the road. And it was done together. A slower job done together is better than a fast job done alone. We are learning by doing.
The Kabala community speaks so appreciatively of those from Canada and the USA--and British Columbia in particular--who have joined them in their dream for a Christian school. They repeatedly asked for promises of ongoing pledges of prayer and support.
We celebrate that we have been allowed to be part of the first chapter of the story of a new school demonstrating that a new way of life is possible, not only for those in Christ Jesus, but for all. We saw the children of Christian parents come to school in hopes of distinct education--even from parents who cannot read themselves. We saw muslim parents too bring their children to the school in hope of something better. The school looks great. It is off to a great start. People are there in hopes of a better world. May God continue to bless this school as a ray of hope in a land with so few financial resources but with a big faith in a God who changes things. A regular morning song for us while in Sierra Leone was "Cast your burdens unto Jesus for he cares for you!" This school exist as a hope. And I think the greater blessing was ours for being allowed to walk a common mile with wonderful people of Kabala who displayed hope in their love and care. Truly the Lord is moving in Sierra Leone.
Lee & Ilean

Allah Tanto! Halleujah!

2007-09-26T16:54:00.000-03:00

It is incredible to final see these photos. The first day of school with their pink and blue uniforms! We did it!! The dream has really become reality for the CRC and many other people in Kabala and around the world. It is a long way from when I first started only in January. Now it is september and school has begun! It is exciting to see the children of people who have been instrumental in this community now attending here. Allah Tanto! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen!

The sound of a brass bell began a new chapter in Christian education in Kabala. At 8 AM on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, when the bell rang out, over 100 students, their parents, their teachers, and a number of other local people who were instrumental in the formation of CRC Primary School in Kabala, began with singing a Krio hymn and other choruses and prayer. Ilean and I were filled with joy to represent the Fraser Valley Christian High School and Surrey Christian School communities. The people in attendance expressed great joy and thanksgiving for the school, its qualified teachers and the encouragement from the international community.
Later we spent a couple of hours just walking through the classrooms as teachers were beginning to implement some very creative teaching with most of their teaching materials still on the way. But that didn't dampen their enthusiasm for learning. They are trying to be a real alternative to many local schools where students are encouraged to be passive learners. No here.
Few of us get the opportunity as we have had today of seeing students and teachers come together for the first time in a community, in a country. In Krio we say, Plenti, Plenti, Tenki!
Lee & Ilean

A BELL TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR

2007-09-24T12:41:00.000-03:00

In Sierra Leone, a good school has a good bell. The CRC Primary School of Kabala had none. And so a bell was purchased in Freetown and presented by us at a meeting of the School Management Committee (the board). The brass bell will be rung for the first time on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, for the first time. Over one hundred students will enter these classrooms for the first time. More will be coming until they reach the maximum for now of 120 students.
There are many prayers of thanksgiving here for the school, for the Canadian and American friends, and for God's providence. As one member of the School Committee told us, Ilean and I would not even have been here (in Sierra Leone) if Christ had not come first to show the way to one another.
Lee & Ilean

a Wednesday Start...

2007-09-20T23:26:00.001-03:00

The planned opening for school is set for Wednesday of next week. This means that Lee and Ilean will be there to see the ceremony. Much celebration in Kabala for this new school. Much like the woman in the photo celebrating the APC election triumph! Blackboards are nearly ready. Apparently the Paramount Chief Ali Marah will also be sending his children to the school!! Quite a show of support for this new school.

Almost Ready...

2007-09-19T10:28:00.000-03:00

The election is over. A winner has been declared. The new President has been installed. In a country without a history of democratic changes, this is big news. So now hopefully, schools will begin next week across the country.
The Christian school in Kabala is almost ready. Teachers are planning for the excitement of the first day. The building looks great. The desks have been made. Some supplies are still missing. But school will begin. Shortly students will be standing in the school yard in their new uniforms. The national anthem will be sung along with "Good Morning, Jesus; Good Morning, Lord." Students will then go to their classrooms and teachers will begin the Good News of Jesus Christ in the classrooms beginning with a study of God's action in the world by creating and sustaining His world.
Meanwhile, time is moving along so fast here. We regret that we have only about a week and a half left here. What an exciting time to be here.
Continue to pray for this new venture here.
Blessings,
Ilean and Lee

Here is an excerpt from a great SL news website concerning the recent changeover displayed under a photo of the incoming and outgoing Presidents and VPs standing together. "The picture that should make all Sierra Leoneans weep with joy and pride. After all the rancour of electioneering campaign : From left : President Ernest Koroma, former Vice-President Solomon Berewa , the new VP , Sam Sumana and the outgoing VP , Momodu Koroma . Credit : APC website" (http://www.cocorioko.net/index.html).
We have abused each other enough .We have flung accusations at each other enough . .We have fought each other to a standstill, thankfully with words. In many ways than one, we have done our best and our worst ( All in the name of democracy ) , but now the elections are over. A new President has been elected and now we must go back to the serious and noble task of national reconciliation and national reconstruction

A New Leader for Sierra Leone

2007-09-17T15:08:00.001-03:00

The people of Sierra Leone have just elected a new president. Ernst Bai Koroma of the All Peoples Congress was today announced the new leader of the Republic of Sierra Leone. It is amazing that things have remained relatively peaceful. "By God een powa" they will continue as the changover takes place. It is the first time since independence in 1961 that there has been a peaceful transfer of power to the former opposition party. Now hopefully school can begin peacefully!
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN739168.html

waiting for results

2007-09-13T16:15:00.000-03:00

No firm date has yet been set for the beginning of school as the election results are still not in. Today was hopefully the next to last set of exams to help finalize the student lists.
Attached are a few photos of the election which took place on Saturday. One photo shows me with a person about to vote holding her valued voting card. Another shows the pinking with the dye on it. A couple of others are of the school and one with Ilean working alongside Sunkarie, the keeper of the house in which we are residing.
Lee Hollaar

Around the world

2007-09-06T22:57:00.000-03:00

Here is an email we received from Lee and Ilean upon arriving and starting work in Kabala.
We have arrived in Kabala, Sierra Leona. We are residing with JT in the CES Guest House. Have had a meeting with the teachers and saw the school site yesterday. It looks great! Today we met with the SMC. It went well and we will have further meetings. Have another meeting with teachers planned for tomorrow. With the election coming school opening has been postponed until at least next week Monday.
As we approached the school yesterday Ilean rode on the motorbike and Lee walked—by choice—escorted by two young men, Martin and Joseph who worked with Asher on the school. There were many parents with smiley faces as they were picking up their letter of (enrolment) acceptance. Some spaces are yet to be filled from a long list of applicants. The parents were pleased to see the newly whitened buildings. They look great. Impressive! Classrooms are being finished—and it will be a challenge to get everything ready by the first day of classes—whenever that will be next week. Desks are still being finished. (They are made of a local hardwood redwood. They will last a lifetime.)
We met with the teachers: Dixon, Fina, Bocharie, Steven and the Headmaster “JT”. The three men and one woman composition of the teaching staff is unusual by many world norms for primary schools, particularly in N. America. Further, they all are trained teachers and together have lots of experience. (Most local schools are 70% staffed by UU’ s [unqualified & untrained]).
When we flew into Freetown aboard the plane there were several international election observers. We were told that 5400 such observers are now in the country for Saturday’s run-off election. Please pray that things may continue to go well in this nation with a short history of democracy.
A couple of days ago we were taken to the palace of the Chief in whose chiefdom the school is located. The Chief was very actively intentional about securing the land for the school even against some negative opposition who feared the securing of a valuable piece of land as is sometimes the practice here, once holding entitlement would be slow if ever to be built. With an alternative model school now on site, some of those who were negative, he said, now ask appreciatively, “Have you seen the new facility in our community?” (This Koronko Chief has recently been elected to the Sierra Leone Parliament as a chief and now a member of Parliament he goes by the title of Honourable Paramount Chief Ali Mbalansama III. In the foto he is the younger man in the beige suit) He thanked CES and its Canadian partners for the difference he sees it making in his chiefdom. He identified literacy as a major priority as the first step of helping the people to help themselves. It is a pleasure to see someone who has the courage of his convictions to carry out this mission. He welcomed us, as the foreigners from Canada, and partners in this important work. He also told us he hoped to meet us again. He told us we would be safe here.
After the visit to the chief, Sunkare, the capable woman who keeps the home where we live and wife of J.T. Koroma, headmaster of the school, treated us to delicious meal consisting of a local variety of rice called swamp rice, garnished with local potato leaves served in a red palm oil sauce. The potato leaf is locally renowned for its nutritional value for preventing anemia. And now anything but anemic we continue to participate in the exciting and unfolding story of CRC Christian School in Kabala.
One closing note: Asher deGroot is a celebrated name in Sierra Leone! For a young man he has been an effective witness for the Lord. In the words of Wm. Shakespeare it could be asked, “What is such an old head doing on such a young body?”
Lee & Ilean Hollaar
you may have noticed...
I just added something to the blog which I should have done months ago. On the left there is a map of the world. The dots on the map show where people who have visited the site are viewing from. Click on it to enlarge and it will also display how many people have visited the site. It is incredible to see in a few days where news of the school has travelled to and how many more people are becoming involved and excited about the project.

arrivals

2007-09-03T18:36:00.000-03:00

Below is a message from Reverend John Phiri of the CRC in Kabala, sent to me this morning.
Dear Aasher and Dennis,
Greetings to you. May God bless you always.
The Hollaars are now on their way to Kabala with Joseph. Thank God for their safe journey.
All classrooms are now floored including the administration and the corridors. The white wash is being put and furniture being made. Will take a few shots today and will send them tomorrow by God's power.
Greetings to all who are supporting the work in all forms.
John
There has been some concern in the past week over excalating violence running up to the second election. Police were using tear gas in Freetown. All sides were calling for peace and quiet. Only yesterday the two candidates decided they will hold a joint rally, riding in the same vehicle through their supporters. Both parties were also advised by outgoing president Tejan Kabbah to distance themselves from ex-combatants of the civil war. Voting is scheduled for saturday.
Kabala is relatively free from the tribal conflicts associated with the ruling parties. We hope Lee and Ilean arrive safely this evening and can begin meeting people and starting some important work. The headmaster JT is here showing off the new uniforms. I was a part of this most interesting colour discussion!!

Departures

2007-08-29T18:27:00.000-03:00

On Friday of this week Lee and Ilean Hollaar are leaving for Sierra Leone to begin over a month of work with the new faculty and staff at the CRC primary school kabala. They are looking forward to the experience and will be bearing gifts to the school from communities here in Canada.
Lee and Ilean will arrive a week prior to Presidential Runoff elections. The opposition party has already won a majority of seats in the cabinet. APC leader Ernst Bai Koroma and SLPP current vice-president Solomon Berewa will face a second round of polls on September 8. Koroma lead in the first round but without enough to win the presidency directly. Thus far there have been few incedents of violence, and we all hope that peace will prevail and the outgoing government and supporters will go quietly.
When the Hollaars arrive in Kabala, they will be adding updates and photographs to the blog. They will celebrate the school opening and the first children filling the classrooms!

Elections

2007-08-20T22:56:00.000-03:00

As some of you may know Sierra Leone is waiting for the results of an election which took place on the 12th of August. Ballots are still being counted and the results will likely be in this week. The ruling party (Sierra Leone Peoples Party SLPP) under former vice president Solomon Berewa is currently standing in second place with around 35% of the vote. The frontrunners are former opposition party All Peoples Congress (APC) headed by Ernst Bai Koroma with 45%. In third is the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), a split off from SLPP lead by Charles Margai: nephew and son to Sierra Leone's first and second presidents after independence in '61. With no party taking 55% of the vote there will likely be run-off elections between APC and SLPP. Charles Margai of PMDC is now backing the APC. Those I have talked to in the country are still concerned about the possibilities of violence, particularly in Freetown. But thus far voting and rallies have all occurred peacefully. In spite of accusations on the part of the leading parties, UN observers have stated that the elections were free and fair. Hopefully this will continue as the next round of voting will likely take place in September.

Long time gone

2007-08-09T15:38:00.000-03:00

so I have been back from Sierra Leone for a month and a half. It feels like yesterday and it feels like a world away. I have been in regular contact with the headmaster and school board chair to get updates on the construction. It is exciting but also frustrating not to be there to see things through. In my absence things continue but decisions are made in a different manner than they were. These adjustments are necessary for the autonomy of the school, but slow things down a little. Fortunately the workers are committed to seeing this project through in spite of any setbacks.
The furniture and the latrines are the two things remaining to be done. The buildings are painted, sealed, and electrified, with blackboards installed. The teachers have visited the site and are eager to be teaching in such a wonderful space. Johanna Kuyvenhoven related to me their first visit to the school where one of the teachers asked "so how many classes will be in this room?" One class per room and one teacher per thirty students!! They are looking forward to the arrival of several more visitors at the beginning of september. Lee and Eileen Hollaar will be in Sierra Leone as a support to the staff to help shape some of the aspects of the curriculum and school that will make it unique among schools in the country. It will also be a chance for me to send greetings and gifts for friends in Kabala, as well as support for my AD Stars club!

All is not lost!

2007-07-18T14:28:00.000-03:00

Despite not being able to update this blog with photos, the work does go on!! I have received emails and calls that all the windows and doors are installed, wall plastering is nearly complete and the ceilings are completed. The gutters are going up and the interior whitewash has been purchased as well. I long to be able to just take the 2.5km motorbike ride from my house in Bankolia to the school site to check up on the progress.
I have just finished reading a book called "Blue Clay People" chronicling an NGO worker's time in Liberia, just south of Sierra Leone. His recollections of the experience are both comfortingly and frighteningly familiar. I know that already my undestanding and perceptions of my experience are changing and maturing. But I know that it will take time and energy and more visits to Kabala to keep alive the relationships I have begun there, and the great work of this school that we have all been a part of.

work without Mista Asha

2007-07-03T17:12:00.000-03:00

I have spent the last week telling stories and sharing my experiences in Sierra Leone with family and friends. But while I sit and evaluate the experience of being in Africa and that of returning to North America the work goes on unabated. For the first time I think I am seeing the excitement of new pictures posted on the blog showing the next stage of construction. It is incredible to see where things have come in a week! Reverend John Phiri, the head of the CRC church in Sierra Leone, will continue to take pictures for me to keep all of us up to date on the construction.
Over the last week it has also been incredible to hear how many of you have actually been visiting this blog. I am blown away by this show of support. And so I also need to think about how this blog changes with my no longer being in Sierra Leone. Because as much as my stories may have filled much space on the blog, my own part in the story of this school has changed now. The stories may no longer be firsthand but the photos will continue and my own work on the project will continue from this end for several weeks yet, documenting, writing, drawing... there are still many things to be done. This blog is the story of this school and so it will continue to be that, all the way up to time when the doors open and the children fill the verandas and classrooms with laughter and learning.

Out of Africa

2007-06-28T20:58:00.000-03:00

I am having a hard time expressing or contemplating what the last week has been like for me. I am back home in Langley, British Columbia, Canada with many family and friends around to celebrate my return. With everything still fresh in my mind I was sitting on the coach bus travelling from London Gatwick Airport to Heathrow. I could not help overhearing a conversation going on between two American travellers about their house purchases and the reasons why they had taken one house over another because of the fact that it didn't have a large enough walk in closet as if that was the most necessary thing in the world. I thought, "the cost of your closet or renovation for your bathroom might be more than the entire amount of money we put into this school." But I am absolutely convinced that the value of this school in the Kabala community is incomparably more than all the bathroom renovations we have all done put together and multiplied several times. I don't know yet what to think about it all.
I will miss my family in Kabala more than I can imagine over the next months and until I return. They have been unimaginably welcoming and generous. As I walked around the the school compound one last time the morning of my departure I was blown away by what has been done in the last six months. I remember stressing about the construction of the well and now I see a roofed structure nearly in readiness for children to run down its verandas and sit in its desks. I am so grateful to the workers on the site who have tought me so much about construction technique and work ethic. I may have showed them a few things and I know they will miss me as much as I will them. And more importantly I know that they are so committed to seeing this buliding through to completion. They are as proud of it as I am. Just today I received a phonecall from one of the workers. More than half of the windows have been installed and the entire interior of the Administration building will be completed tomorrow. I am sure the classrooms are coming along as quickly. I may have been slightly worried when I left but that word has brought me confidence that we will be ready to receive children by September.
On Sunday morning before I left kabala a group of people gathered together on the school site to carry out a symbollic ceremony. We laid out a line of trees dividing the new football field from the driveway. Our neighbours at the Red Cross Technical Training centre donated 10 trees to the project. I planted a pear (avocado) and others planted Mangos, Oranges and Acacia, each representing a different person, present or not who has given significantly to the project. In the photo JT Koroma the new headmaster is planting a Mango tree. We charge him with caring not only for this little row of trees but with the future students. And we trust that these seedlings will bear fruit as the efforts of many supporters from around the world have born fruit in this project and will likewise bear fruit in the children of Koinadugu District and Sierra Leone.

Under the red roof... and none too soon

2007-06-23T13:42:00.000-03:00

so the roof is finished. And overall I am completely thrilled with how it has turned out. Apart from a few minor bumps it went smoothly. Nobody believed that such a small pile of sheeting could cover all those roofs. So I bet anyone who would take me up 5000 leones that there would be a balance left over. I think I was too confident and said make it a million so nobody took me up on it. But we have enough sheeting left now to roof the latrines which have only just been started. Our completion of the roof was just in time for my going away party. Rain came down hard in the afternoon, pouring off the roof as we all lounged on the spacious verandas. It was very moving for me to see the genuine appreciation for the work that I have done and the life I have lived in this community for the last six months. I think that the tears I cried could hardly express the sadness that I have at leaving this place and how important these people and this project are to me now.
The football match which preceded the program was a gruelling one. The rain had soaked the field and the play was a bit messy. Nil nil at the half. But early in the second half, the young AD stars went ahead on a controversial ball going in off a corner kick. The AD site poured on the pressure, myself getting a few headers and passing up a chance to shoot from close range only to see my teammate put it into the keeper's hands. "We done try, but ee no do" I was taken from the game to attend the party in my honour, but the site couldn't equalize. So it was a hard fought and messy game, but in the end the AD Stars prevailed on the lone goal 1-0. I can't really complain, it is my team! they now even have my initials on their chests. Most importantly I think that they also now own this field and the school and will continue to be involved in the upkeep and maintenence of the football pitch and other work that needs doing.
Today was a day spent organizing last minute contracts and jobs that are better done before I leave. Trying to tie up lose ends, with everyone trying to see me for one favour or another, giving gifts, expressing thanks. It is all a little to much to do in the next 48 hrs. I have not even begun to pack.

Busy Busy Busy

2007-06-19T11:09:00.001-03:00

last week and lots of things to do. Here is a quick snapshot of the building yesterday afternoon. The guys had a well earned football match after the days work. Today the most difficult roof is going on right now. The corner classroom with 4 gables. Who thought that would work? Well I wasn't sure myself until we started it and now it looks pretty sweet from almost any angle you see it!

At Long Last...

2007-06-13T10:50:00.000-03:00

I am so thrilled that the guys on the site want to see some part of this building really feel "completed" before I leave. So because of problems loading the photos I have had to edit this because now... two classrooms and the administration building are completed roofing. It is tradition that the guy who finishes the roof has to come down on a ladder off the edge of the roof which I had to put up for him. It is very exciting to see it come together. And I daresay it is none too soon. This morning we had extreme winds that brought down trees and torrential downpours. I rushed from Church to the site to check the building. But even the classrooms where the sheeting was only tacked are still okay. Inside is dry. The verandas are very wide to protect from rain and sun. I have also continued the "oddjobs" around the site, like completing the drainage trench. I was more than a little unlucky. The guys were urging me to start the work so we mixed the concrete and about 20 minutes after we started the rain began to come washing away the bottom of the trench which I was attempting to smooth out. So we ditched that idea for a sunnier day. You can see from the photo the importance of the drainage around the building. There is a tonne of water flowing down this trench and it will help protect the building and landscaping both.
Although I don't always feel like I have had busy days, I can now say "Me na masona, me na carpenta, me na bomba designa." Everyone is always surprised to see that I actually know how to work (and sweat about 10x as much as everyone else it seems).
As a side note, the football field gets daily use, and is slowly getting larger as we clear and level more land for it. The big rematch will be on Friday or Saturday and i think the AD Site will have no trouble with the young AD Stars.

Rain in Surrey = Sun in Kabala

2007-06-12T13:24:00.000-03:00

"Plenti Tenki" to the Grade 2 class from Surrey Christian Elementary school who raised enough money to sponsor over seven children through their garage sale this weekend. It was raining in Surrey and Kabala both this weekend. But the sun has come out to allow us some more dry days to complete the roofing. As the building comes to completion it is exciting to know that the support for the students once school begins is as strong as the support we have felt so far in the building of the school. We now have plenty blocks and other materials and tools stored up for future construction, and a wealth of knowledge on how to build in this region.

Christening the Field

2007-06-11T10:53:00.000-03:00

so yesterday we held our first match on the CRC primary field. AD Stars vs. AD Site. Quality game and a quality field. The one stump remained gave us a few problems but has been removed this morning. The young stars thought they would have no problem with the old guys. But it was a good match. 3-2 Stars at the half. With minutes remaining in the match I tied the game up at 4-4, only to have the AD Stars score a goal off a defensive mistake. We will practice over the next two weeks and have a rematch just before I leave. The site has some good players and I think we will take them when we play again. After all some of the guys have not played in years. All reports say that the field is superb and the guys on site are hoping to make good use of it over the next months with daily training.
My usual pronouncement is that by tomorrow or next tomorrow we will have zinc on the roof. So "by god een powa" we will! The Fascia boards are being prepared today and put up. The plumbing for the administration building began this morning and will be commpleted in a few days. The window and door material has arrived to the welders and he will begin our work today.

from Johanna Kuyvenhoven

2007-06-10T11:27:00.000-03:00

Hurrah! A small guest appearance on the blog I’ve been following since it began! Before I say a few things about why I’m here, I’d like to lavish praise on Asher. HE’S DONE AWESOME WORK!! I hope he’ll agree to publish my praise and wonder.
I know well the kinds of constraints he faced to get bricks, boards, gravel, cement … let alone getting rafters that meet in the middle and windows on the same plane. And to imagine that he’s kept the momentum of this building going for four unflagging months!?!! This is really a sign of God’s empowerment. Everyone I talk to is full of praise and some awe of the young man who works “pass all.” He was entrusted with much – and has returned far more than anyone reasonably hoped for. AND – best of all, he works in companionship and community with workers, church leaders, the school management committee and others.
I’m the very white woman you might have seen a few entries down – locally known as Yowannah. In Canada/US, it’s Jo Kuyvenhoven. I’m staying with Asher and several others in Kabala… It’s my annual privilege to come here to learn about the teaching of reading and language use in Sierra Leone – and to also do some teacher training. I also facilitate an annual national conference for studies in language and literacy teaching. I lived here from 1981-1985 and worked and studied here for a couple of months every year since 2001. I’m blessed with some very good friendships and connections in SL.
Last week we finished a 1 week intensive workshop for community school teachers from 11 chiefdoms in this district. Working with the 51 uncommonly eager students, I often thought about the new school that will open this September. We are working for a place where learning is soaked with understandings about our Creator and Saviour. The school is also going to be a place where teaching and learning methodologies are deliberately developed for greater effectiveness. Currently, most students in class 3-5 are still in the (very) early stages of print literacy. We will work for nearly fluent readers by class 5. We hope we can develop ways to help our graduates read fluently, ably calculate, have a breadth of knowledge and skills related to the subject areas under study when the finish class 6.
It won’t be easy to find teachers who are ready to bring new methods, strategies and materials to bear on this. Teachers in this area were raised in schools with nearly no materials and overcrowded conditions. One teacher in my workshop has 152 students in his thatched classroom/shelter. Imagine the classroom management issues! He has 7 books for his students’ use. Most participants in the workshop couldn’t write the alphabet the same way twice and struggled to find the number and place where we are reading in our workbooks. Teaching is guided by rote memorization and copy strategies. This is why I do workshops, work with the government ministry of education, teacher training colleges and many other NGO’s in an effort to develop more apt methodologies and materials. Print literacy is a new language learning here.
Sierra Leone culture is fantastically rich with stories, highly developed social and oral abilities and – by western standards- advanced abilities for remembering. We hope that this school becomes a place where the best of two cultures for education can come together to complement each other under the Son’s Shine.
Asher leads the construction of the building - the bones and body of the school. What a great and beautiful promise is becoming visible. Now, we search for the beating heart. The school’s character and much of its possibility resides in the staff of teachers and their headmaster. What divine affirmation that J.T. Koroma, the headmaster was led to this new school. Now we hope God will lead the right teachers to join us. On this Wednesday we will interview 6 candidates. Pray!

Day 152

2007-06-08T13:31:00.000-03:00

not that it is significant for any reason other than that I just looked at the calendar I made when I came here which counted down the days up and down to my departure. The rafter are ... nearly complete. I have been fighting the last days to get the crews to do more than one small job in a day. Some days are frustrating, but we come through them and the building continues. The Windows and Doors have been contracted to a welder near the school site. He does quality work and promises to have the job finished by the end of the month. By next weeked some of them should be arriving to the site for installation. I realize that much of what I speculate on this blog for finish dates for certain jobs is way off the true time it takes, but that is just the way construction goes here.
My motorbike has been fitted with the logo of the new CRC Primary School - Kabala. The bike still feels brand new! I will miss the freedom of riding a motorcycle when I leave. We have also begun clearing the school playing field and doing some levelling in preparation for the match this weekend between the AD Stars and the AD Site (the workers from the site). There is much talk. The young Stars think they will have no problem with the guys from the site. I get to choose which side I will play for, so I will be playing for the construction site; being older and also thinking that they may need my help. You never know how many will show up completely "chuck" from drinking too much poyo. Should be a fun game. I am trying to convince everyone that the losing team must level the ground for the school driveway. I think my bargaining skills have significantly improved since I have arrived!

The Distorted Panorama

2007-06-06T12:04:00.000-03:00

So here is what the site looked like sometime yesterday afternoon from the Water tank in the centre of the site. Don't worry, although the walls may seem to curve and the floors slope in the image, thats just photoshop! Hopefully it give an idea of what the school will be like from the area where the students will gather. To the right will be two flagpoles! one Sierra Leonean, one Canadian. Already today there are rafters up on all the classrooms. I am overwhelmed trying to think of all the possible things I can prepare before I leave here to leave things in capable hands by the easiest way possible.

thinking of flying?

2007-06-04T09:54:00.000-03:00

I am relieved and excited that the "zinc" sheeting has arrived on the site and we have enough boards to complete the roof. The smell of creosote permeates any action on the site as we yell over the constant noise of the chainsaw.
Yesterday afternoon I bombed out to the old Kabala airstrip some 7 miles out of town. The small dirt road suddenly turns to ashphalt and about 200 metres later... there it is, a 1.25 km (measured at excitingly high speeds on my Honda XL) strip of pavement. Maybe 25metres wide. It is a very surreal thing to see, right there in the middle of the bush. In 1980 you could fly from Kabala to Freetown; Makeni; Bo; Kenema. There was electricity in Kabala and running water. It is incredible to see the direction the country has gone!
In related news, we have been shocked and many are mourning the loss of 24 lives on sunday evening in Freetown. The Paramount Airlines helicopter service running between Mammy Yoko Airport (in Freetown) and Lungi International Airport which I took on my arrival to Sierra Leone, had a serious accident. The helicopter exploded just before landing at Lungi airport killing all but one of the pilots. The passengers were primarily Togolese sports officials who had been in Freetown for the African Nations Cup qualifying match between Togo and Sierra Leone. Pray for the lives of the families as well as for Sierra Leone as the repurcusions from this event will be felt for a long time I fear.

A dream becoming reality

2007-06-02T16:02:00.000-03:00

Yesterday afternoon I would say that I was privileged to see Dr. Johanna Kuyvenhoven see the primary school for the first time. After years of dreaming and scheming the school has finally become a reality in the last six months. Johanna was in Sierra Leone when the land was purchased a year ago, then again when my parents were here last july, and again for a workshop in December when JT Koroma was hired as the new headmaster. Each time the site was a little different, overgrown, then dry, then brushed and NOW!! I don't think that words can describe just being there to witness her seeing the buildings taking shaping. I am so proud to have been one part in this big project.

2007-06-01T12:48:00.000-03:00

I figure that you haven't seen enough pictures of myself in a while so here is me on the site contemplating how to direct the drainage around the building and the size of trench needed to direct that water to the far side of the site. Its sunny and rainy and my days are spent thinking about gathering timber, shipping it, ripping it, coating it in an incredibly harmful acid-gas mixture, putting it on the roof and securing it there. (apparently the best remedy for those applying the mixture is for them to drink goats milk afterwards, anyone have know why that might help??) The roof sheeting will be arriving from Freetown today and I am excited about what it will look like. Brick Red. I am off back to the site to see the reaction when Dr. Johanna Kuyvenhoven sees the site for the first time after years of dreaming this project into existence.

kampioen, kampioen, ole, ole, ole

2007-05-28T12:34:00.000-03:00

so the AD Stars have one their own tournament! After much argument and discussion the teams came to a consensus on who should go to the final game. It was played yesterday. 2-1 for NTC going into the second half, but the AD stars stormed back with a goalmouth header and a lob from a goal kick to win the game 3-2. The game was called after a bit of a brawl broke out between our fans and one of the NTC players, angry for being down by one goal. I kept myself clear of most discussions and all fights, not wanting to go home with yet another scar from a fight this time.
I am in freetown, possibly for my last trip to gather materials before I leave. I am doing my best to see that things are left in capable hands and enough things are completed that there are no major design decisions yet to be made concerning the building.

In case you didn't already know how small a world it was!

2007-05-25T13:30:00.001-03:00

This week there was another canadian visitor to Kabala doing an audit of CES for CRWRC. I had never met him before but the first thing he said to me was "I used to work for your grandfather, my first job!" So Les Visser grew up and still resides in Lethbridge, Alberta where my dad grew up. Johanna Kuyvenhoven, another integral person in making this school project happen also grew up in Lethbridge; her father was the minister of the CRC church in Lethbridge. It is strange to discover these family ties here in Kabala, all the way back to Emmanuel Christian School in Lethbridge, a school my Opa deGroot helped to start.
Les has been fortunate then to see the school see some key changes in the last two days with roofing starting on two of the classrooms. It the timber is there (which it is now but not enough for all) then by next week the Zinc pans will be going up. Today this proved extremely important for two reasons. This morning we had an absolute downpour at around 7 am. Then because the rain had cleared up the air so much the sun was absolutely scorching! So we need those wide verandas covered so that we can sit there in the shade and out of the rain.

Playing by the rules

2007-05-22T11:54:00.001-03:00

So my self titled football club has advanced to the finals of their invitational tournament! There is just one hitch. None of the teams quite paid attention to the rules that were set out before the games that there were no ties and so points did not matter, neither did goals. After the first round, winners advance losers are out. no questions. Sometimes that even means that the best two teams may not always make it to the final. So because they didn't follow these rules there was a tie, and as often happens the team that beat the AD Stars at first lost in the second game and so are very angry that they are out, despite having less the same amount of points and less goals. So who knows now when the final will be and how many more games these guys want to decide who wins. It could go on forever because how often are teams actually satisfied with the result if they lose? This afternoon we will decide what should happen. Nevertheless a good experience for these guys organizing it to know what it takes to make things run smoothly.
As I speak the final slab is getting poured finally connecting all the buildings together. Timber has arrived, is currently being coated in creosote to preserve it from Termites and will start going up on the corner building tomorrow. Nasty chemicals, but very necessary. It is a busy time now with each crew working on different jobs and us needing to provide a wide range of materials to keep them all supplied and happy.

Fierce Creatures

2007-05-20T11:59:00.000-03:00

almost every other day I am greeted in the morning by the night guards telling me "look snake!" This one is a viper.
Then there was the bat in the house (among many animals residing inside). Very helpful but very evil looking creatures.
And there are beautiful flowers coming out and I can hardly believe that the school site is slowly turning green as the grass begins to creep up. I would never have thought it would come out of such hard dry ground.
Rains coming! a little harder every time but now I know we will not be hurt too much by them.
small small the building is coming along. Each day new achievements and progress. All "By God Een Powa"

Waiting for the pictures to load...

2007-05-17T10:44:00.000-03:00

Fortunately for us we have had a little bit of a break from rain. Apparently the rains come for a few days consecutively and then will leave off for several weeks before they start again in earnest. So I guess that time is coming to an end soon. But once the blocks, even mud blocks are set in mortar there is not much threat to the building. Only a small threat to the extra blocks we will store on the site for future buildings. While Mozel is gone for a few days, I am excerting some authority to get some jobs done that have been nagging us for weeks sitting unfinished: slabs, drainage, stairs... By monday three of five crews will be ready to build their roofs which means I have more materials to get in Freetown so we have something to put on it once it is finished. We are planning on going with very durable corrugated roofing sheets. It will be a brilliant red!

Sponsor a child

2007-05-16T10:54:00.000-03:00

Sponsor a Child for the new Christian Primary School in Kabala, Sierra Leone

How much does it cost to sponsor a child?For just $200 you can enroll a child in the new Christian Primary School in Kabala, Sierra Leone and pay the cost of his or her education. It will cost $25,000 to operate the school for a year. This includes all material costs and pays the salaries of a principal, four teachers, two security staff, two maintenance workers, two cooks and a school secretary/receptionist. We anticipate 140 students in this new school for September.

Will the families have to pay tuition?Yes families will pay tuition fees. However, because the standard of living is so low, even a very low tuition fee is a big challenge for families. Students will be required to come to school in uniform; also a significant cost.

What kind of education will be provided?The school offers grade 1-4 education to start. They will have certified Christian teachers who will be teaching the Sierra Leone government core curriculum and like our Canadian Christian Schools will integrate Biblical worldview and values into all they do. The biggest advantage to these children will be the low teacher/student ratio of no more than 35:1. By African standards this is simply amazing and will make all the difference in the child’s education.

Who will I be sponsoring?The children who will be attending the school will be from Kabala and its surrounding area. Some of the children will be from Christian families, but many others will attend for whom the gospel will be a new and life-changing experience.

How can I pay for this sponsorship?
In order to keep our administrative task simple, we prefer one cheque for the entire amount. If this is not possible please contact us to discuss other options. You will receive a tax deductible receipt early in the new year for the entire amount.

Will I know who I am sponsoring?
We hope to send a small team to Sierra Leone next fall. One of their main tasks will be interviewing and photographing students, preparing a profile for each that can be shared with you, the sponsor.

We are inviting you to join us in this revolution of hope for the children of Sierra Leone. To see how the project is coming along visit www.kabalaschoolproject.blogspot.com.

Global Partners in Education is a joint effort of our K-12 system, supporting educational efforts in the developing world. If you are interested in learning more visit www.fvchs.ca

Fraser Valley Christian High School - “Becoming by grace what Christ is by nature.”
15353-92nd Ave
Surrey, B.C.
V3R 1C3
(T) 604 581-1033 (F) 604-581-1712 (E) fvchs@fvchs.bc.ca (W) www.fvchs.bc.ca

Please complete this form, detach and return to Fraser Valley Christian High School with your donation.
Cheques can be made payable to “FVCHS—School Sponsorship”

Name: _________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________

Full Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Email address: _____________________________________

Enclosed is my cheque/cash for $ _______________ to sponsor __________ child(ren).

The Photos

2007-05-15T08:31:00.000-03:00

so this blog doesn't always work with the pictures, but here are the ones from yesterday.

The AD Stars

2007-05-14T11:18:00.000-03:00

(photos to come... still not working)
so unbeknownced to me, a football club was started by some kids who I have played ball with a bunch of times at the "cow yard" field here in Kabala. Also without my knowledge they named the team the AD Stars: A for Asher, D for deGroot. Anyhow. So I am now sponsoring an invitational tournament (of the same name) this coming weekend. Hopefully I will have time to play a game or two with the guys. I can hold my own, especially considering they are all about 5-6 years younger than me. I'm looking for my second goal in a game on african soil. Not bad for having played about 4 games. In talks with the headmaster of the new school, JT Koroma, we have decided it would be a good idea for this team to be a connected to the school in some way. So their jersey's which I purchased belong to the school, but the primary school will always have this team as their sponsor team in the leagues in Kabala. More free labour for the school for when we want to clear our own field, as well as other jobs around the campus.
I cannot over emphasize how exciting it is to see the building really come together in the last weeks. With the ramp up to resource room all the building will be accessible. While I fight off comments that this really should be a university, I am comforted by the thought that we are reallly making this primary school a one of a kind place for children to get a superior education and experience.

Panorama

2007-05-10T13:08:00.000-03:00

I don't have much to say today but that things continue, much as they have the past month. But I am continually surprised by the messages I get of people that I don't know who regularly check the blog to find out about the progress. Thank you so much for your interest in the school and for sharing that interest with friends, family, colleagues. I guess it keeps me responsible to everyone supporting the project as well. That was not my original intention with starting the blog but it is a good one.
One small story that made me laugh the last two days and somewhat affirmed my work here. Abdul, one of the workers on site is rediculously funny (Gino and hans can testify to this). After we were working on the stairs at the front of the admin building and I was measuring out and explaining why we were doing it and how we would do it and he says to me, "You na white man, but you get sense!"

the little things

2007-05-09T12:13:00.000-03:00

I have been slowly working my way around the site trying to complete or inspire completion by starting work in different areas. By tomorrow the main stairs to the administrative area will be completed. Three fine staircases. One left to do still at the centre of the classroom block. Inspite of being ancy to get some of the roof framing started I am happy with how things are coming along. Everyday new people come by to the see the school, saying "tenki fo dee wok." They all think it should be a secondary school, because I guess the standard is that primary schools don't get funding, materials or much effort put into their buildings. So it is good to know we are starting in the right place, and this gives a great opportunity for improvement. (pictures aren't working right now so wait a day or two)

The show must go on... fast

2007-05-07T12:27:00.000-03:00

alright, so Mozel Pratt, the contractor and myself are more than a little worried. The rains have begun to come a little more regularly. half hour here and there. Today we are transporting all the block to the site so we can pack it together and put tarps over it to protect it for further construction in the next months and also in the next few years. John has begun his gables in the resource room. This building will also get the most complex roof inspite of its small size. The columns are more than half finished and the ringbeam on the rest of the buildings have begun. A devoted team of women continue to break stones for us for concreting. Almost all the slabs are complete, which will be followed by the stairs. These things continue as the timber is shared around for the other pouring of concrete that needs doing. The five crews on the site are rather selfish when it comes to material, so it is up to me to ensure that the boards etc are shared around and work continues everywhere simultaneously. "By God een power" there will be roofing material arriving later this week.
"Sa Jay" (Gino) and Lansana (Hans) will be missed by the guys on site (myself included). But I promise that "A dae beat all pekin" who call me lansana or gino from now until I leave. I never cease to get inquiries about whether they are back in canada yet and when they will return. At the bottom here is another resident of the site (a rather tiny one, but nonetheless lethal than the large scorpions) found hiding in the rocks that we were moving to conrete the remaining floor slabs for the verandas.

adios hermanos

2007-05-04T05:24:00.000-03:00

Time goes too fast. Hans and Gino are leaving today. We will make our farewells at the site and at home this morning before we leave for Lungi (airport). Only pictures from my camera from now on, so you won't be seeing much of me. Travelling mercies to them as they go to Europe before going home to Canada. I will miss them but am looking forward to some time alone as well.

"Me na Bobo Pain!"

2007-04-30T11:36:00.000-03:00

"so we go tell god tenki dat everyone be ok afta a been get in wan small accident wit Honda." Now everyone in Kabala will be calling me "rough rider" a title I do not think is justified, but there is little I can do now to shake it off. "Me na Bobo Pain" is the title of a song here in Sierra Leone. Thats what they call me; someone who has many troubles and injuries. Last night I had a collision with another honda. I was passing a bike on the road just as it was getting dark and didn't see the oncoming motorcycle. I was going too fast and he did not have his light on. I am none the worse for wear aside from a small flight through the air and minor road rash. The bike also escaped much damage. But the other rider was not as fortunate. His bike is somewhat damaged and he had a serious cut to his nose and mouth. His passenger, a girl from a nearby village had a minor bruise to her leg only. So it was a busy night last night. I am very thankful for the people I have got to know here. Within seconds some of the guys who I work with happened to be there, and within minutes, Mozel Pratt the contractor I am working with, and about 10 guys from our site were there to bring the other guy and his rider to the pharmacy and hospital and take care of me, the motorbikes. It was very comforting. Likewise the CES staff were around in seconds to handle things at the hospital.
So now it is back to work. I checked at the hospital this morning and everyone is doing alright, apart from another guy who works for us who happened to get in a fight last night and got scissors in the head. He will be alright. No pictures today! Pray for healing for everyone, some patience for me riding, and progress for the school project.

Independence Day

2007-04-28T11:12:00.000-03:00

Yesterday was Independence Day for Sierra Leone. April 27, 1961. So there was no work on the site. It was a good thing because it was a scorcher! Really lazy day, lots of sleeping, sweating, and a few cold Star Beers. This morning we climbed atop the hill above Kabala. Gorgeous Sunrise. Coffee and bread for breakfast at the top and then back down to work at the school. But apparently the independence day parties were pretty good cause nobody worked today except for five of us. Too much Poyo. We backfilled for one of the last slabs that need to be poured. There is a large drainage trench that is under construction between two of the classrooms. Although I have not seen it yet, apparently the amount of rain that the building needs to deal with is unbelievable! Much of the surrounding area slopes towards the long classroom block so we built the trench to direct the water around the building. Once the trench is completed and the slab complete the building will really begin to feel complete as one will be able to walk around the varandas freely from classroom to classroom. All that backfilling by hand! (read comments for a colorful description of the work by the poet Hans Doef).

the work goes on... small small

2007-04-26T13:24:00.000-03:00

Things continue to progress, not in leaps and bounds but each stage coming slowly, moving from one crew to another. The crews are headed by: huge Francis is building a single classroom. Saidu the Joker is building the administration building. quiet john is building the corner resource room, Sema the carpenter is building two classrooms and the drainage trench, and Olu from Freetown is building the drainage trench and the last two classrooms. All of them are great guys to work with, love to joke around, have fun, and work hard. Man can these guys work! crazy strong. I was wrong about us dutch boys teaching them anything about working. It is the heat and sun that kills! Hans and Gino are working on their tans (Hans has a pretty sweet farmers tan from his tank top).
The lintels are nearly completed and the ringbeams will soon start. Once the main drainage trench is complete we will finish concreting the verandas and the stairs, finally bringing all the buildings together and making much of the work easier.

Top of West Africa! - Mount Bintumani

2007-04-23T10:43:00.000-03:00

This past weekend we were privileged to see a site few Sierra Leoneans have ever seen. We made a trip 76 kms to the base of the Loma Mountains to hike in to Aaron Kortenhoven's Buffalo research camp. Aaron grew up in Sierra Leone and knows Kuronko and Krio as good or better than natives to this area.
Overall it was a learning experience for all of us. I would say that now I truly know how to drive on Sierra Leone roads. On the way in to Senakoro – the base of the hike – we seriously bottomed out around ten times. Aaron Kortenhoven gave us a non-stop stream of advice on how to maneuver back down that same road on our own.
The hike began at noon on Friday, four hours of straight hiking from 1200-4500 ft. When we finally turned around at the base camp after a grueling climb the view was awe inspiring. After an evening of listening to monkeys and chimps chatter, storms pass by below and stars moving overhead we felt rested and ready to challenge the peak. I think all three of us were completely surprised by how high Bintumani actually is. The 2000 ft climb to the top was breathtaking. Enveloped in mist we made the final ascent. Although we could not see for miles we got glimpses of the stunning beauty of the forest canopy and rolling hills below. I was also privileged to speak with my mom on Aaron’s satellite phone. We got the unfortunate news of the Canucks loss in game 5 but it was so special to wake my mom up at 5 am to tell her “I am calling from the top of West Africa!”
Loma mountains did not disappoint us, Like Aaron warned us, “there are rocks there that will blow your mind.” And they did. Impossibly stacked and tilted! When a friend of Aarons suggested that some ancient civilization set these rocks in their positions, a kuronko friend of his, Yegbe, proclaimed “Ee no believe God!”

Forgive us our sins...

2007-04-18T11:22:00.000-03:00

Where does one draw the line between Child Labour and Community Development? In the last two days we have been redrawing that line in our own minds. The new Headmaster JT Koroma and myself made requests to the local schools for their aid in transporting mudblocks to the school site. This is a common occurence here, where teachers get students to bring firewood or stones to school, or help in the constructionof new facilities. So we appealed to 5 schools to help us in this endeavour, bringing blocks from a site around 500 metres from the new School location. Yesterday several hundred students from classes 3-6 at MCA Primary School helped to bring us over 3000 blocks. Some kids stacking them 5 high on their head! My neck could harldy handle the strain of 2. Strong kids! Then today students from Alharika Muslim Primary came to help us, not as many children but they did many trips. Tomorrow morning Ahmadiya Secondary school will assist us, followed "next tomorrow" by Loma Secondary School, our closest neighbour. We are hoping to pack all of the remaining 20,000 blocks to the school site where we will store the extra under tarpaulines until they are needed. What an impressive show of strength, but also of the community's support for this new school. The teachers and principals especially recognize the importance of helping out this new school that will also be a benefit to their own schools.

First Fruits

2007-04-16T11:40:00.000-03:00

Although we have been seeing the fruits of our (and your) labour on the site, finally we can also see it in the garden in our backyard. Yesterday we ate our first tomatoes and radishes from the garden. We eat mangos, "pears" (avocado) and tomatoes everyday. It is now mango season and we never run short of a supply of them. The meal here is our african style bruschetta with all of the above ingredients, plus onions and garlic, all fresh from the local area. That plus some soup (and a nap) made it feel like a typical sunday afternoon at home.

Waiting for the rain

2007-04-13T07:23:00.000-03:00

the last days have us seeing the most beautiful starry nights changed by lightning flashes and cloudy skies, followed by evening showers. Three Days of rain does not slow up the building. But it makes us realize that time is against us. Within a month the rainy season will begin here in Kabala. It is a little scary thinking what needs to be done by then, but I am confident we can make it happen. The walls are beginning to take shape, window and door openings forming as they pass sill height. It is a challenge for me to convince the crews that every window does not have to be centred on the wall. Two classrooms remain to be slabbed, but will be completed by tomorrow.
The biggest challenge here in Kabala is keeping the workers supplied with materials. The fact is Kabala has not seen a project as big as this go up as fast as this in the last ten to fifteen years. We are taxing the local economy for every bit of crush rock, ball stone, sand, mud blocks, and now with it being the driest time of the year... water as well. Most of my day is spent organizing to ship each of these five things to the site, providing any of the 10-15 transport trucks in town are in working order.
The three of us are doing our daily activities. Gino and Hans keeping busy at the site, and me sitting on my lazy ass. Not really, I am on my computer less and less and need to make time to get to the interweb connection here. but I am getting used to being in a very different role in organizing and making decisions concerning the building and the process. Gino and Hans are learning a lot about a very different type of construction and techniques than either of them are used to.

Put 'em to work!

2007-04-10T14:04:00.000-03:00

Greetings to everyone from Hans and Gino who have arrived safely here in Kabala. The Easter weekend was fortunately slow on the job site so they had a chance to get to know Kabala. We motorbiked four miles east to Yataya to taste palm wine and celebrate easter monday. Today was the first day back to the site. The first latrine for the administrative building is being completed. The walls are up to window sill height on about half of the buildings. Gino and Hans have each joined in different crews, mixing mortar and laying mud blocks. Both have received Sierra Leonean names even before I have! Had Hans been born in Kabala, as a twin he would have been named Lansana, Hassan, or Farenke. So he has taken to the first name. Gino is also a big hit with the many kids on our street who call out "jinio," adding it to the "Ash, Dennis, Ash, Dennis, whitee man" monotony. It is the end of a long hot day. I think all of us are a little sunburnt and in need of a wash. I think by the end of the week Lansana and Jinio will be riding the bikes and finding their way around town on their own.
For those of you who couldn't comment before Hans has forced me to change my settings so that anyone can comment.

till next time...

2007-04-05T10:19:00.000-03:00

I am definately leaving with mixed emotions. So looking forward to being home, saddened by the news of the death of a good friend, neighbour and supporter of this project, Jon Bergvinson. My heart is heavy for Cathy.
The photograph was taken this morning. We climbed the hill above Kabala. We could see the school site clearly. I am thinking of that painful passage from Cry the Beloved Country where Kumalo goes to pray for his son and for Africa. So much beauty and so much pain. So much to rejoice about and so much to pray for. The bricks should be arriving at the site as I write this. The walls should be going up. Blessings all ours and 10 thousand beside. Farwell Kabala.

Fish and Bread

2007-04-03T11:52:00.000-03:00

I have been saying too often in the last few days, "I need to do that before I go." I am wrapping up my time in Kabala and I am already missing so many things about it. How do we take this more "creational" pace of life and bring it to North America? I think about sitting around on the verandas in the evening without electric light, listening to the soft voices and the giggles of children. I think about the hospitality, the time to meet and greet, a cold Star, and the eager faces of the children.
We had a meeting of the SMC yesterday and spent the time on Mission, Vision and Values, on enrollment policy and a name. It will be called the CRC Primary School - Kabala. I won't take the time here to explain why this is important in this context except to say that it has a long history in Africa and in SL particularly.
The photos are of Asher, Kumba and the children who came along with us, swimming in the river on Saturday. We could easily have stayed a couple more days; the pan of fish we caught in the river, a simple reminder to me of everyday miracles and the other kind, like the school, growing up out of the soil.

SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM

2007-04-02T09:08:00.000-03:00

Guest (Hans): Morning!
Asher: Morning!
Guest (Hans): Well, what've you got?
Asher: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam; but we've actually run out of both bacon and sausage so really all we've got is spam; spam, baked beans, plantanes and fulah bread; spam and pasta; spam, curry, rice, onion and spam; spam on bread; spam and ground nut soup; spam and casava leaf;
background voices chanting: Spam spam spam spam...
Asher: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...
background voices chanting: Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Asher: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam. (alright we don't really get lobster here in Kabala)
other Guest (Gino): Have you got anything without spam?
Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
(adapted from Monty Python)
Actually there is much wonderful food here, chicken, beef, many different rice dishes! But in all honesty I can make that spam taste really good! and its easier and safer than some of the meat in the Kabala market. I guess the stuff in the photo isn't even Real SPAM; its cheaper, lower quality, knockoff spam! But fear not, there is much to look forward to.
This past weekend I drove up in the red patrol (now out of the ditch and running fine) to Yarra, a village some 27 miles from Kabala to where the Sesay's have a farm. The vehicle was loaded down with more people than is legal, some hanging off the top and the spare tire on the back. Ia getting used to the roads, so the 21 miles to Badela was not so bad, but the 6 miles to Yarra from there is the worst road I have ever driven on in a vehicle (much harder than on the Honda), not to mention one laden with 10+ passengers and luggage. But it was entirely worth the trip. We were caught walking to the local gold mines in a torrential downpour which drenched us through and through. But it was difficult to imagine the life of the people mining there to sell gold at a fraction of its actual cost. It was not until we returned to Kabala that we discovered that Sierra Leone has never reported an ounce of gold exported from the country. All of it leaves through illegal and untaxed routes. Not a penny of the money earned is going to repair that horrible road which might help those same people travel to the market more regularly to sell their gold.
After seeing the mines we walked for 3 miles in the growing dark past Kumba's farm and on through the bush to the Seli River. It was an absolutely gorgeous spot. After a well earned sleep we awoke to see the fish jumping in the pool. After coffee and bread we spent the entire morning and into the afternoon fishing off the rocks, swimming in the water and enjoying many laughs, stories, games and food. It was hard to leave and come back to the real work here in Kabala on the school.

Man Power

2007-04-02T08:07:00.000-03:00

Since beginning this project here in Sierra Leone, I have truly come to appreciate the brute strength and power of the workers on the site. It is incredible to think that all this work has been done with only minimal help from a small tipper truck. Otherwise all the materials have been transported by hand, shovel and wheelbarrow from point A to B on the site and from across town. I am the butt of many jokes as the only "white man" on the site. I am getting darker by the day though, and each injury, fall or bug bite makes me feel that much more at home here.
Almost all of the backfilling is completed and more local materials are arriving daily for pouring the slabs. By this afternoon we hope to have some walls begun and at least another classroom completed pouring. There is also an School Management committee occurring presently which hopes to come up with a mission, vision, and hopefully a name for the school. We are all looking forward to being able to call this school by its eventual name, instead of just "that new school in Yogomaia" or "that new CES/SIT school" or "the school next to Loma Secondary and Alharika Primary".

Meeting Grandma and the Chief

2007-03-28T12:54:00.000-03:00

We went two hours south this morning early to meet up with Jeremy, Valda and Benjamin Kabia's grandmother, great-grandfather, uncles, aunts and cousins in the town of Makeni. In fact the great grandfather is a Temne Chief, Pa Koyo. We had a wonderful time of talking and visiting together. Mrs Kadiatu Kabia is very happy to be back in her home community, surrounded by children and people she knows.
We also met up with Karefa Jalloh, a former evangelist with CES, now studying at the teacher college. From there it was some errands of buying wheelbarrows, and wood preserver, and back two hours to Kabala. On the site, two of the classrooms are being filled with rock in readiness for the slab to be poured. We're making good progress.

spinning tires

2007-03-27T12:14:00.000-03:00

how one manages to high centre an off road vehicle in three places such that the all four wheels are spinning is beyond me! Some people from CES were coming to the school site to pump drinking water from the well (the water is the envy of the neighbourhood, and will have to be guarded more closely once the school children are there). Unfortunately, the driver failed to see the two foot deep ditch and managed to put both left tires into it. So the last three hours of our day were spent with as many as twenty-five people giving their "expertise" on how to get the vehicle out. In the end another vehicle and a rope was the only solution. I had to scold a few of them who, thinking I didn't understand them, were asking around if the white man was the one who put it in the ditch! The vehicle is back on the road with not too much damage I hope.
Yesterday morning we came to an agreement with the workers on the site for them to manually backfill their own portions of the building. With some complaining they are quickly filling the rooms. I think the kids may have done a better job on the weekend, and more enthusiastically. Seeing the amount of labour it takes make me think twice about building on slopes in the future without earth moving equipment. Things just take time!
We are continually congratulated and thanked for the work we are doing here, it is very rewarding work.

growing up in kabala

2007-03-26T11:09:00.000-03:00

Many of you will recognize that face in the first picture. Nyima Koroma is growing fast and slowly getting over her fear of us. She stared at my Dad with big eyes but no tears like last time. It is exciting to think of the possibilities for her life with this new school going up.
At the SMC meeting on friday we decided to start with class 1-4 for the first year, still heading for a start date in september. It puts some pressure on the building but it will be motivation to keep things moving before rainy season. Today the crews have begun backfilling by hand. I think they were inspired by the children who worked so hard on the weekend, and realized that there previous hesitations and cals for a tipper truck were put to shame by these kids. So hopefully in a few days the first slabs will be started.
It is a relief for me not to have to take pictures all the time with my Dad here. So here is a picture of me with one of my adopted families - the Sesays. Actually only four of these kids are Kumba and Joseph's children while the rest are cousins and relatives who they generously take care of because they have lost family members, or their families live and work in the outlying villages. I am always invited over for "chop" (food) to various homes almost every day of the week, Sesays, Marahs, Momohs, Kargbos.
Finally, I am excited to say that I believe I have helped to set up the first wireless internet connection in Kabalatown! This town also is growing up! My Dad brought over a wireless router which now serves the CES and SIT offices here at Kawusu House. I am hoping that it will be able to serve their needs and those of the many visitors passing through the office, as well as other people working with NGOs here in Kabala. With some maintenance the office may be able to set up its own Internet cafe in the downstairs (my office). It is amazing to see the more rapid changes that are taking place in Kabala in the last months. Only 10 months ago there was no cellular network, now there are approximately 6 towers. No wireless... wireless. There is construction all over the town. I think that development and reconstruction has reached a critical stage after the war where people are finding the funds and desire to rebuild homes, schools, hospitals. It is an exciting time for the district of Koinadugu and the country of Sierra Leone.

Fun-filled

2007-03-24T13:52:00.000-03:00

It was a good thing the WCB does't operate in this area or we would be shut down. Some 30 volunteers today on the site moving fill into one of the classrooms to allow slab to be poured. Twenty of them were children. Really good for community building and for generating excitement about the school project. Lots of laughing, kidding and singing as well as eating together. It's the weekend, Saturday evening in Kabala and all is well. We are looking forward to worshipping here tomorrow.

Day by Day...

2007-03-22T13:05:00.000-03:00

Dennis on the blog again, letting Asher attend to other matters.
Asher's day usually begins with some early phone calls from someone who wants to drop off a load of sand or rock, finish a deal to transport materials or a discussion with the contractor about what needs to happen next on the site. On the site first thing this morning the transport from Freetown delivered 400 bags of cement and iron rod for the columns. The crews start right in with bending steel and creating the framework that the columns will be poured into. Once dry the bricklaying will begin. The photo is one of Mozel the contractor and Asher discussing various concerns about materials, payment, stock, delivery, fill or a myriad other details.
The unloading of the cement is an impressive display of grit and sweat. These guys are ripped and work steadily with the sweat pouring down. Once the day is launched on the site, its on to other details.
From there its back to the CES office to check emails and pick up a vehicle ans we're off to Yataya where a Sierra Leonian- Italian has done some amazing work for his home community, building a school, mosque, community centre, and now a clinic. All funded by friends and connections in Italy. He is from that village and is dedicating his life to make a difference there. The picture is of the communal meal we shared with good conversation and palm wine. Peter Konteh, JT Koroma our new headteacher and two news rporters from Freetown doing a story on his work there.
James Tamba Koroma (in blue) is the new headmaster of the school and I believe a real Godsend. Lots to say about him another time but I believe he will be a very good leader. He has a true teacher's heart and a dedication to the children of the north. He is originally from this community and is happy to be moving back here. I don't think he is that impressed with my cooking. The rice doesn't come out quite like they are used to eating it.

Asha! Asha! Asha!

2007-03-20T12:32:00.000-03:00

Dennis writing on the blog today. Pretty exciting to be out on the school site with Asher and James first thing this morning. The crew was just rolling in and obviously very proud of what they had managed to achieve in the few days that Asher was away in Freetown. I must say it was an emotional moment for me to see that what has been dreamed together is actually starting to take shape here on the ground. You can stand and without much difficulty can imagine that soon you will hear school children singing on the school grounds before the day begins.
I met JT Koroma last night late when we pulled in from the airport at 1.30 am. What a treasure the community has in this man. We had the opportunity this morning to walk around the site together and I believe that he too is imagining himself the headteacher of this fledgling Christian school in Kabala. He has much experience, deep faith and the heart of a teacher. We are blessed. We talked for some time about what must happen next. We will meet on Friday with the SMC, the school Management Committee and do some planning together, talk about mission, about a realistic timeline, about relationship with the ministry of education and the myriad other things that will go into a September start if that is possible. We are planning as if it will and moving forward in that direction.
Everyone here at CES/SIT are so pleased with the work that Asher has been able to do. All I hear wherever we go is Asha! Asha! Asha!.. Well loved to be sure.
We are also planning a strategic planning session for some time next week; a couple of days of dreaming together about the future.
What can I say but that my heart is full!. The Spirit of God has been moving well ahead of us. The work of Paul and Mary for so many years, the work of CES deep in the heart of this place, are all part of the rich soil in which this school is being planted. It is humbling for us as Surrey Christian School and Fraser Valley Christian High School to be called to this partnership. May we be found faithful.

Dennis

from the ground

2007-03-13T11:16:00.000-03:00

Like I said before, one Mango had to come down to make way for the new school hall. The night before we had to burn out the current residents of the tree trunk, a huge nest of bees, to make the felling a little safer the next day. So as Norm was cutting down the tree, many guys stood around with arms up inside the tree trunk licking the honey from the inside. Nothing goes to waste and there is half a pail of honey sitting in the store right now, ready for cleaning. In a few days we hope to be ready to lay out the hall.

We began pouring the footings today, first laying in "ball stones" to fill the trench and then stepping the footings to grade with foundation blocks. By tomorrow we hope to have started laying some block. They have also bent steel and tied the wires for about a quarter of the columns we will need. These will be placed and leveled before the footings are completed. Things move fast when there is materials available. The mixer works like a charm and will save an immense amount of work as well.
I can tell the excitement is building in the community with many people from CES/SIT making periodic visits to see how work is going, and all the neighbours coming by to comment "ee fine school oh"

Building Blocks

2007-03-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

I think that things will be progressing faster than even I imagined. On tuesday we staked out the outside of the building and began laying the lines for the first foundation. This is done by stringing the lines across and then spreading sand directly below the line using an improvised "mango-bob" Thursday and friday have been spent trenching for the footings. 11 pick axes and about 15 shovels working away. Never at the same time actually, they are always taking breaks while their partner works. The ground where we are building is very hard, and places have large patches of rock where we were planning on digging our footings. But this poses little problem for the structure and we will form up the footings with 1x12s. It has been good to look at the lay of the land and sort out the elevations of the classrooms etc as we are laying out and even digging.
We will likely have to cut one mango tree to make room for the school hall. That was after much convincing on my part that we shouldn't just cut them all down. For some reason most people see construction, and see trees and think everything should just be hacked down to prepare the site. Yes even that beautiful mango in the middle of the site. The security guards saw it and thought..."Charcoal!!" I think it will be a constant battle to save the trees until the building is finally up and the kids gather under the mature rather than the young trees for shade and will appreciate their fruit and their shade.
We have also been using a nearly brand new concrete mixer to make blocks, and have almost 5000 foundation blocks. More sand and rock are arriving every day.

The Well has been capped and I myself have already drunk the water from it. Still tastes a little concrety but that will be gone in a few weeks. Good water! We did not sink the culvert as far as was planned because it it a rock ways down. But there should be enough water, especially this being the dryest part of the year now. We are very thankful that it will save us having to truck water to the site in a truck from nearby streams etc.

merely a flesh wound!

2007-03-06T06:51:00.000-04:00

So I guess all good things must come to an end. I have never had any accidents driving a car, or now driving a motorbike...But... yesterday afternoon I took a spill on my bike. In fact, it would be more correct to say that I was hit by an animal on the road. I was heading home and a sheep came out into the road. I did my best to avoid it but couldn't. It didn't die instantly but I think someone put it out of its misery. The bike made it out alright, minus a scrape to the fender and the alignment needs fixing. Probably because my right leg and shoulder took most of the impact. My knee and elbow are cut open, and there is gonna be some serious bruising on my upper arm and lower leg. But nothing broken and I am walking around and riding again, although I am a bit stiff and will be watching out for more animals on the road. I drove from the crash to the hospital with the handlebars totally out of wack. I think everyone from the CES/SIT office heard something about it and were searching all over creation for me. Fortunately someone at the accident called joseph jawara immediately so he came quickly. And everyone was very helpful and sorry about the accident. Anyhow. A bit of pain for the next little while but nothing to serious.

And besides, how can I complain when things are starting to progress with the school. The lines have fallen for us in pleasant places. This morning they are staking out the site and beginning to lay out the first building from which we will square off the rest of the buildings to come.

Sorted

2007-03-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

so things have been resolved with this land dispute. Although it has now been more than a week since we first hoped to meet with the chief, it has finally happened this morning. Chief Ali Marah is quite a young man. maybe in his 30's. We met with many members of CES/SIT and the new school board as well as representatives from the Loma Secondary school board. The first thing the chief said was that he was 'disappointed' in the Loma principals actions. "I done vex by you!" Both JK Sesay and Francis the Loma principal had a chance to speak. My Krio is now good enough that I followed the entire discussion, although I didn't contribute. Basically what the cheif said is, "it doesn't matter where the stakes are or what drawing says what. I am the chief and the custodian of the land and I whatever I say is the way its going to be." And so it is! We will stake out the property lines tomorrow and begin laying out the building (now a week and a half later). But we are all very happy and satisfied with the outcome. After all the rains are coming and we have to get going.

The View above Kabala

2007-02-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday three of us climbed to the hill above Kabala. It would be a gorgeous view if not for the smoke in the air. It is a mixture of Harmatan (the dusts that often cloud the sky here) and smoke from brush fires. Nevertheless we could see the work going on on the school site. If you look you can see a large patch of grey which is about 1200 foundation blocks laying out in the sun to dry. It is good these preparations can continue while we settle the land issue. From the image you can see that Loma Secondary School has slowly had its land cut away because they have done nothing with it. So long as we can work it out peaceably so that all these institutions can work together I will be happy.

"Small Small"

2007-02-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

This is the Krio term for little by little, or slowly. There are a few other meanings as well. But "small small" best describes how the work is going right now. We are waiting on the chiefs return to Kabala to pronounce judgement. We hope that it goes in our favour and it looks like it will. In our favour meaning that we get to retain the section of land where we were planning on starting our first foundations (the best location for squaring up the entire plan with the first foundations that are laid) and perhaps the addition of land to the property (thats us dreaming a little).
The well is sitting waiting for the interior culvert to dry. It is cast within the lining cylinder and once it is dry they will dig from underneath it to sink it three meters below where it is right now. This will start on friday and take a few days but we should have a working pump by a week today. I have learned to take such words with a grain of salt here though.
This last picture is about as close as you will get to a photograph of me because most of the pictures taken of me by other people have turned out far too fuzzy. Norm Groot and myself are heading to freetown to organize some last materials to prepare for the laying out which will now hopefully begin on saturday. Cement Mixer, Cement, Generator...

The Turn in the Road

2007-02-23T11:37:00.001-04:00

having returned from the weekend in Foria, I left immediately on Monday morning for Freetown to purchase materials and tools. All of this was done relatively successfully despite some delays in getting back on time on Wednesday.
Norm has settled in well in Kabala and we have been looking forward to getting the construction moving. Yesterday was spent walking around the site with Norm, Mozel Pratt (contractor) and Myself discussing building techniques and methods for laying out. With the sloping topography of the site, the location of the foundations in the landscape and the grade changes are important to consider. So we had planned to start laying out lines for the trenching this morning after putting in permanent steel stakes at the corners of the site. We were however interrupted by the Principal of Loma Secondary School, who claimed that we were building on his schools property and we needed to stop until the dispute had been resolved. A wise decision. We have taken the matter to the paramount chief via his advisors. Hopefully this evening and tomorrow we will be able to work out the boundary dispute. The issue lies in that the old stakes for the property were covered by brush until recently when the site was burned. The cheif had had the land resurveyed and deeded this new school land into the property of Loma (I think intentionally becuase they have done no development of the school in 30+ years). But the principal is willing to work with us to come to a good resolution which will hopefully see us retaining the land set out in the chiefs recent survey. All of these communities love to see such new development that will benefit their people.
As to the construction of the well. It has continued and the lining of the well is completed including the cover slab. Tomorrow they will start pouring the culverts, and early next week begin sinking the culvert down below the water level. If all goes smoothly we will have a working pump only a few days after we have begun the making of the foundation blocks and the pouring of the footings.

"As I went down in the River to Pray..."

2007-02-23T11:37:00.000-04:00

All of the many visitors and myself had an amazing weekend in Foria, a village about 70km (correct from previous post) from Kabala. I left late on Saturday morning to make sure I travelled in daylight. I had to convince everyone here that I was capable of riding solo. Well... The road that runs from Kabala to Badela is not so bad, hilly with a few log bridges and long hills. The drive from Badela to Foria would be the envy of many motorcross riders. Fortunately I have no pictures because I was concentrating on the road. It is incredibly beautiful. 12 miles up hills and down with the road going over very rocky places, over streams and on rather dangerous gravelly sections. It was very fun. I think everyone here was amazed that I survived the trip. But I am alive and well, the trip back going far quicker and easier for me than the way there.

The Celebrations in Foria were for the recent start of the Christian Reformed Church in Sierra Leone. They combined a service with the ordination of 2 reverands, 45 baptisms in the stream half a mile a way, and communion for near to 500 people. As things go here, it was a long day. Prior to the service, we were met up at the guest house by the village elders. They welcomed us and praised the work that has been done by CES in the area. They also asked for CES to continue its work there in helping to establish a new water system for the village. Aaron Kortenhoven translated all of the elders' words into English as he knows Kuranko better than many natives of this region, having first come here when he was six. It was very cool to see the respect that CES has established with this and other communities. The Church Service etc that followed was also a very powerful event. Many visitors came from around africa and the US and Canada. It is was pretty amazing to see the long line of people winding its way to where they did the baptisms in a pool of the stream.
Unfortunately, almos immediately after the events had officially concluded we had to make preparations to return, especially for me to return before Dusk on the Honda.

Wata!!!

2007-02-16T13:55:00.000-04:00

Finally!! You cannot believe how excited, relieved and surprised everyone is that the well diggers have finally hit water. At 5.5 meters the finally hit the water table. It being the dry season this is good because that will only increase throughout the year. Already today they have begun pouring the lining of the well (concrete between the dirt and an interior formwork) and after that is complete they will sink another three meters hopefully below the water level (pour free floating culverts that sink down as they dig deeper). Hopefully within two weeks we will have a fully functioning Inkar Hand pump to service all construction on the site. In the meantime we have a "bowsa" or water tank that we will have filled each day to supply the foundation block makers. Also today we have ordered twenty loads of sand to the site which will hopefully last us several months. On monday I plan to go to Freetown to purchase tools and organize for various non-local materials to be shipped to Kabala. By mid-week we hope to be laying out the foundations. Now I am off to Foria, a village 56 miles away or so where there is a big celebration for the Christian Reformed Church in Sierra Leone this weekend. Pray for safe travels on my first real test with the Honda!

auto mobile

2007-02-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

finally I have received the Honda XL 125s Motorbike from Freetown. Already I am thankful for the mobility and freedom it affords me, and I am even more thankful to all of you who contributed towards this purchase. I no longer feel like I am burdening those who drive me around town, nor do I have to wait until their schedule fits in with mine. And in Sierra Leone, that can be very often because you always take the time to stop and greet people on the street. It is wonderful, and through all of the people here at CES and SIT I think I have met most of the important people in the town, many of the cheifdoms and even the entire district.
I am quickly learning how to ride the Honda around. It is far more effective than any other bikes or vehicles for getting around town, and more importantly for getting to the villages. But I am not quite experienced enough to take it to Foria this weekend- a 58 mile trip on entirely hilly terrain with holes everywhere.

In other news, my office/bedroom/living room was filled with 5 extra people last night as we put up three missionary families who had just fled from Guinea because of the riots in the capital that have spread to other major centres. The labour unions have vowed to protest (violently) the government until the President Gen. Lansana Conte steps down. He has been in power since 1993. It is apparently the most corrupt country in Africa and things have finally come to a head with over 70 deaths in the last few weeks from the rioting. Unfortunately, the President has vowed not to step down and to use as much force as is necessary to fight the unions. They claim they will sacrifice as many as is necessary until he is gone. They have just put in a 20 hour curfew and instituted Marshal Law. I fear there will be much bloodshed there before there is any peace. Hopefully the UN will step in soon, Guinea is after all the neighbour to the only "successful" UN military campaign here in Sierra Leone.
Pray for peace in West Africa. Guinea, Liberia, and Cote 'dIvoire are all experiencing extreme unrest right now. Here I am in Kabala, where things are all quite peaceful and beautiful right now as I look out over the town from the office.

Design Developement

2007-02-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

Due to our inability to get through the many rocks we have hit, the well construction continues and the design has progressed beyond a stage where the location of the well can dictate where the buildings should sit on the site. Nevertheless I hope that the well and the water tower can both become important parts of the design as we build and continue to make decisions even as the walls are going up. As it stands we have begun the FOURTH attempt at digging a well near the top of the site close to where the Red Cross were successful in digging their well.
The difference between design development and construction documents is not quite so big here as it is at home. These drawings will progress alongside the construction. I hope that what is built now will help us design for future phases of the project and come up with new ways to integrate further building on the campus into the surrounding community.
We are beginning to gather local building materials this week and will bring in most of the tools necessary for laying out and digging the foundations. We are looking forward to Norm Groot's arrival to coincide with the beginning on the real construction phase.