Our first 40 ft container of medical supplies to help fight against the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone is on its way. If it is safe, I'll be traveling to Sierra Leone for the arrival of the container, making sure it goes to the right people and is put to use for the right reasons.
Connaught Hospital, in Freetown, is the main referral hospital in Sierra Leone and the only public hospital providing care for patients who cannot afford a fee-for-service facility. Hope for Lives visits the hospital on EVERY visit to Salone, delivering donated medical supplies and providing meals to hundreds of patients and staff.
St. Anthony Parish and Primary School, where Hope for Lives founder, Bobby Smith attended as a child, is one of the oldest Catholic parishes and schools in Sierra Leone. Bobby’s late mother was the head teacher at St. Anthony. As a child he has fond memories of his time at the school; the teachers, friends and learning were exciting and fun for a young boy.
On the day I was to return to the U.S., my ferry to the airport experienced mechanical issues. In the time it took to repair the ferry, I missed my flight. I rushed back to catch the same ferry back to Freetown as it was the last of the day. The missed flight must have been an act of divine providence. It meant that I had to stay an extra few days in Salone.
When we visited Sierra Leone in February of 2011, we met two brothers, Umar and Alpha Jalloh, who own the Hill Valley Hotel in Freetown. The brothers used to live in the United States. Umar was in the U.S. military before returning to Sierra Leone. They have been funding the construction of a high school with revenue from their hotel. The public high schools are really bad in Sierra Leone so they trying to build a school more like the those in the U.S. Progress on the hotel has been slow but steady.