Transforming Lives in Sierra Leone

Welcome back to Notes on the Journey, where you’ll experience my eyewitness account and see the impact supporters are making around the world through World Hope programs.

Come along! Watch my video to see how we’re transforming lives, families and communities in Sierra Leone.  

Water Equals Life.

Much of my time in Sierra Leone involved celebrating the impact clean water has on millions there. And our work isn’t done. We plan on expanding access even more.

• My stops included Grafton and Hastings, both within 20 miles of Freetown, and Mara, a city of 2,500 in Bombali District. The people in Mara use a token system to access clean, filtered water by the liter from their solar-powered well.
• I also cheered the 2023 Water Is Life project, which World Hope International (WHI) implements with the Rotary Club of Freetown and Fishers Rotary Club. Since 2008, the project has drilled 180 wells across the country.
• During a Nov. 3 Water Celebration in Freetown, officials called WHI “key” to Sierra Leone’s water vision. (We’ve drilled more than 1,000 wells there, and we plan to almost double that amount within five years!) Hand-dug wells quickly run dry. But with our machine-drilled wells, communities are thriving. Our newest equipment can drill borehole wells faster and deeper … and for years. 

Protecting Women and Children.

• Guarding Against Trafficking. I met with families and the WHI protection team in the community. Since 2021, WHI has identified, cared for and protected 60 child survivors of human trafficking. These families depend on WHI for support in trafficking prevention, protection and prosecution.
• Enabling Children. I saw children with disabilities thrive in our Enable the Children program. Since 2016, more than 1,000 children and their families have benefitted from WHI’s education, advocacy and rehabilitation commitments.
• Meeting Sama. You can watch in the video as I meet Sama, the elementary student I support financially each month through our Child Sponsorship program. Sama is still a young girl, but now she knows what it’s like to have clean water, school supplies and protection. I know she has a future.
• Fighting Cervical Cancer in Makeni. I visited Sierra Leone’s first districtwide cervical cancer screening initiative in Bombali District. In 2022 alone, our partnerships with the Female Cancer Foundation screened over 2,100 women and treated — right then and there — 131 who showed signs of precancer.

Connecting With the Church in Freetown. I met with the Rev. John A. Baminhoma, the national superintendent of the Wesleyan Church, and members of the Goderich Wesleyan Church in Freetown welcomed me to their Sunday service. 

You Can Help Now. Throughout Sierra Leone, I saw the power and potential for even greater impact in the coming months and years. I invite you to make your gift now before the end of the year and bring hope through clean water.  

Thank you for helping us make a difference in Sierra Leone and the world. I hope you’ll “travel” with me again when I land in Liberia in the New Year. 

Until next time and with profound gratitude,