Friday, August 28, 2009

By James Mansaray, Freetown Sierra Leone

It’s still holiday here for all school-age students in Mama Salone (Sierra Leone). Soon it will be over and the struggle begins. The few lucky ones who were able to pay school fees find themselves in a make-shift shed learning their abc’s, dreaming of learning something that will improve their impoverished lives. Most fortunate are those who end up in a structure with effective teachers such as the one Nazareth House Apostolate provided in Kabala.

Yet still poor parents find it very difficult to send all the kids to school for they can’t find the where-with-all needed to provide this for their children. In the end, most find themselves in the farm doing hard labour, majority of those living up Country thinks it is their way of life and this is how it should go for them. Others roam the streets either begging or selling stuffs to make a living. It is sad to say but it is a common thing here to see a girl of three tending to a baby sister all day long, hungry till the mother returns late in the evening from the farm.

Sometimes you find it very difficult to comprehend just how hard it is for us over here. Especially when the desire is in our people to make a good life for our families but the possibilities of doing so are limited or the means are not there at all. It is with this kind of feeling that NHA took up the cause to help build a school to reduce the idle and helpless kids we meet everyday on the road side. Through Nazareth House, you changed the lives of so many children, you made education a reality and are equipping a whole lot at the Kabala Community.

Now that is not all, these kids you see always carry a smile on the face but not all is well inside. They had been getting the bits and pieces of our usual supplies but their parents are looking up to NHA to help educate them. The Kabala school might be too far for them to go to but NHA can help provide them with the school fees and uniforms so that they can attend any of the nearby village schools. A few dollars out of your pockets might not buy much more than a few restaurant meals for you but given to Nazareth House it could change a whole life towards school fees, or even a whole month of food for a family.

During our last trip to visit the NHA Kabala School, ROO had a great time dealing with the kids there and on the way to Freetown he had some fun time with Sorie at the one hut village only for him to ask before we leave that “ Papa, Where is Sorie’s school?”. "I could only say, he can't afford to go to school, Roo, his papa has no money for school fees"

Soon you, our Nazareth House Supporters, will return to Sierra Leone, carried in the hearts of Papa Seraphim and Mama Vicki as they journey back to us. The work they do, the needs they provide are directly a result of your love and support. Every mouth fed, every medical need met, every hand held is as if you are doing it yourself.

Remember as part of Nazareth House, we are all in this together. What I do, what mama does what you do - it is as one body doing it. Doing it in the name of God, loving our fellow human beings.

This trip you are making back to Salone through Nazareth House is so important. We need to prepare it well. We need you to get out and talk to all your peoples, raise funds as much as possible so that this mission can provide all the necessary aids to the people of Sierra Leone.
Hear their cries, we can't fix it all and end all their woes. But one at a time, we can reach so many. The time is now. We need you more than ever to provide for this mission.

As the economy drops down the needs increase in Sierra Leone. We are hoping to collect $8,000 before October 15th, 2009. This money will provide on the ground aid as we travel through Sierra Leone from Freetown to Kabala assessing the needs and ministering to the people.

Nazareth House Apostolate
2216 Goldsmith Lane
Louisville, KY 40218

Credit Card payments can be made through www.nazarethhouseap.org using the paypal donation link