Breakfast in Sierra Leone. Good Morning!

Good Morning!  What are you having for breakfast this morning? 

a bagel and cream cheese ...perhaps a scone and hot cup of coffee from the local Coffee House?   

maybe you've enjoyed a nice bowl of cereal?  

Whatever you are having today, chances are it won't be your only meal.

To these children a mango is the sweetest food.   Excitement is the air when the mango season begins and the fruit has ripened. 

They have no ipods, no gameboys or whatever the electronic gadgets that our children in the West think they need to have joy and not be bored.  They don't know about those things and they don't care about that.  They do care about their next meal and where it might come.  These children in Sierra Leone are delighted to have a piece of fruit- a mango.  For some of these little souls, it may be the only food that enters their swollen bellies today.  

There is no whining, no complaining.  They are full of joy, very thankful and appreciate every bite.  Mango Season is in full swing; this means these children can fill up until the trees are once again bare.  What a wonderful time, a time to enjoy a full stomach.   

Think of the joy we can bring to them with a decent meal, a bit of healthcare.   It's really very easy, in fact, its only a click away using the paypal donation button on our website www.nazarethhouseap.org.  

With a bit more of your time and couple more clicks on your online banking institution's bill-pay site you can set up a monthly autodraft to send to NHA.  $25 per month could change many lives for the better.  

Personal Checks may be mailed to our Taylorsville, KY address.  

Make a difference, be a part of family - the NHA family  - helping one another.   Give today

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

THANK YOU

Mangoes & Rice: A Report from James in Freetown

Imported rice from Thailand namely Parboiled, Triple AAA and Bella Rosa to name but these three has taken a toll in the markets making it very difficult for the ordinary man to meet a whole bag, instead some go for the half bag which is 25 kg and majority do with the one cup service which is meeting what you can afford for a day and then leave the following day to fend for itself.

For some, especially up in the provinces, a mixture of rice and Bulgur (some kind of brown wheat also imported) which is usually being used to feed pigs, is being blended together to make a perfect family dinner.

The other day, i sat together with a group of fellow photographers at the Sun Colour Photo Studio down Sanders Street and I noticed several push carts carrying bags of rice, old and young men sweating and forcing more rice with their wheelbarrows. Printed on one of the rice bags was USAID,followed by a small writing at the bottom - A GIFT FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. These lines throw lots of question to us and we started debating about it. The argument was, was this sent to us as a gift when people we are paying for it? This remained unanswered.

Let's say, where man fails to come to our rescue, God is always there to help. The months April and May has been good indeed bringing forth more mangoes to help combat the hungry homes. It was said years back that people in Freetown only eat mangoes to balance their diets but my pictures are saying the opposite. More homes are making better use of it including St. Laurence House forgetting this diet balance thing and using mango as a way to ward off hunger.

In Kabala, it is very difficult to tell whether mangoes should be eaten at a certain time because people sleep, wake and dine with it twenty four hours a day.

My fear is what will people do when all this mango season celebration will be done in a months' time and the rice prices still the same or worst?

Mango help ease hunger...

The Mangoes are in Season. This is a great help to the hungry in Sierra Leone. The two children (pictured above) are filling up on mango because the rice they have always depended on their mother to provide them with each day is too costly to afford these days. Our staff & family in Freetown at St. Laurence House must also depend on the mango to compensate for the lack of rice due to the fact it is too high priced to purchase.