Distributing Food in Sierra Leone's remote provinces

Right now there are so many sadness around the world, but a little joy will always bring HOPE. So many things are being cancelled due to the pandemic lockdown, but let's not forget:

Dreams are not cancelled. Compassion is not cancelled. Kindness is not cancelled. Love is not cancelled. A better tomorrow is not cancelled. Giving is not cancelled. 

Sadly In Sierra Leone, starting tomorrow, there’ll be another three days of lockdown from the pandemic. So with the support and collaboration, Hope for Lives in Sierra Leone is doing the best we can, supporting 12 villages and hundreds of people are going to be blessed. We’re supporting places where there’s no chance of help from the government. Not only supporting these villages from the three days lockdown, but also providing them food for the entire Ramadan season. 

Here are the names of the villages in Sierra Leone we supported in April. They’re all located In the Northern Provinces of Sierra Leone.

1) KARANEH, 2) GBINTI, 3) MASORIE, 4) KALANGBA, 5) MATOKRO, 6) RO-THOK, 7) MATHORR, 8) ROSARR, 9) ROSENT, 10) MAGBOLONTHO, 11) ROGBLONTHO, 12) ROGBOM

For many years now with the collaboration and support from Dr. Bailey and his wife Mrs Saffiatu Jalloh-Bailey, they have been generously supporting various villages.

Even with the crisis around the world and every nation having difficulties,  there are still few people in the world with such loving hearts and giving spirit. 

We also wants to give many thanks to our California friends and families, Ms. Naomi, Dr. Ajayi, Yodit Bellow, Mr Jalloh, Ms. Conteh, Ms. Charlene, Ms. Jameelah, Ms. Lenese, Mr. Maningat, and Dr. Majid for their generous support, and many thanks to the organizers in Sierra Leone. 

We want to give a special thanks to Ms. Sento Kamara and her team, especially during this time of the Coronavirus. With her organization skills they’ve risked their lives to bring a little joy to these families. The social distancing was very hard to do, she said, but they did the best they could. She and the team in Sierra Leone travel with two minivans to various villages during the day and night distributing bags of rice, onions, Maggi and various other types of foods. We tried to accommodate every household in these various villages. 

There was so much joy, dancing and prayers from these families. Man, I’m jealous though for not being there, but at the same time very thankful and very proud for the great work of Ms. Sento and her team. If not for the pandemic I would have been in Sierra Leone this month. 

Some of us can afford more than others, but for me, I’ll always make the effort to give the last penny I can afford especially when it comes to my brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone. One thing I know, I’ll never want to be buried and gone and leave all my money in the bank while people are dying from starvation and hunger. 

You can see the faces of these people throughout our website, but even though you don’t know them, you can see the need. Every donation is welcome. See the full size images in our Flickr gallery here.

Computer instruction and hands-on training at St. Anthony's School

OCTOBER TO REMEMBER!!!

It's another amazing week and month, as October 11 was the International of the Girl child, and also a very important month for Breast Cancer awareness. 

I am so proud of the girls in our Hope for Lives in Sierra Leone computer teaching and training program at St. Anthony’s School in Freetown.

They started in August with their new, first time practical computer classes, where they learned about computer hardware and software and more recently, moved into the computer lab for hands-on training. 

Their determination is unscripted and unstoppable. There’s no limit to what they can achieve with this level of enthusiasm. GIRL POWER!

It’s time for the world to encourage the girls to pursue their dreams, boost and uplift their self-esteem and celebrate all their talents, and that's what we at Hope for Lives are doing with these amazing girls.

See the full size images in our Flickr gallery.

Start of the School Year at St. Anthony's School

The beginning of the school year in Sierra Leone started about two weeks ago and it has been an incredible new beginning for majority of our students enrolled in our programs. 

Our computer theory lectures started with great possibilities for our future generation, wherein computer literacy and digitalization is a fundamental tool in being a part of the new generation. 

With the little resources we provide, we want to give God/Allah the praise, as the students are giving all they have and Hope for Lives will continue to provide the best we can afford. 

The excitement will begin when they will be starting with their hand on the decks work during their practical at the computer lab.

The dream of Hope for Lives would not have been kept alive without our dedicated and passionate staff, who run the affairs of the organization so effortlessly,  amidst the challenges we face, hence we say thanks and kudos to the  Hope for Lives DREAM TEAM on the ground; Mr Patrick Smith, Mrs. Mary Tucker, Mr. Tamba Jimmy, Mr. Sahr Dumba and Mr. Thomas Messi Smith, for making this possible for our future generation.

HOPE FOR LIVES VISITS JUVENILE PRISON IN SIERRA LEONE.

This was our visit to the juvenile prison in Sierra Leone. It was a real eye-opener for us, as we’ve done every other effort in giving back to our communities and to our beloved Sierra Leone, through feeding programs, sustainable programs, computer literacy and educational programs, with the prison being the only one that was remaining. Because of privacy and confidentiality we were only allowed to take few pictures from behind.

Hope for Lives visited the Juvenile Prison, provided food for the entire inmates, prayed and counseled with them. 

I don’t know if there’s a similar verse in the Quran, but the Bible, in Matthew 25:35-40, says “when I was hungry you fed me, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, a stranger you invited me, naked you clothed me, sick and in the hospital you cared for me and in prison you visited”.  We’re thankful and to God be the glory!!!

Unfortunately, the system has forgotten about some of them and they’ve been locked up for about 4 to 5 years as a result of delayed trials. The youngest inmate was about 11 to 12 years old.  

For now all they need is counseling, personal hygiene supplies, and once in a while a visit. Some inmates are from the provinces and some from within the city. For reasons of distance and access, most of them have not been able to maintain contact with their families. 

Please we’re pleading to everyone visiting Sierra Leone or leaving in Sierra Leone, if by chance you have it in your heart, please make it possible to visit these inmates, as all they need is encouragement and hope. 

Distributing shoes at the National School for the Deaf & Mute

As part of Hope for Lives ongoing support for the National School for the Deaf & Mute in Freetown, we distributed shoes to the students.

See full size photos in the Flickr gallery here.

Bobby Smith resuscitates 2 girls in drowning incident

Bobby’s 25 years working in the Emergency Room at Suburban Johns Hopkins Hospital came in handy when 2 young girls were rescued from the water in a tidal area adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

While Bobby and Precious were visiting a village called John Obey in Sierra Leone, they were walking along the beach when they saw the locals bringing out two drowning victims from the ocean gasping for air.

Both girls were brought out of the water at the same time lying on the beach with foam coming out of their mouth, ears and nose.  Bobby placed both girls on their sides while they were vomiting water and foam out of their mouths. He was going back and forth between the girls, while giving instructions to locals while working with each of them. 

After hours of persistent rescuing techniques I was able to stabilize one of the girls and switched back to work with the other girl. I was sweeping out the foams from their ears, mouth and nose, cleaning the sand off their mouth, nose and everywhere else on their faces and also trying to do a side and back blows from getting the water out of their lungs. Because they drank so much of the salt water the last girl took me a long time rescuing before I was able to handle her situation and stabilized her. 

She was having a severe uncontrollable abdominal pain, which I thought could be due to of too much of the salt water.  I asked the locals for a lump of charcoal to be diluted in water, hoping it would help from the effects of the salt water. Surprisingly, she Immediately open her eyes, slowed down her breathing and took few more sips of the diluted charcoal in water. She immediately started feeling much better and stronger, even though she still kept throwing some of it out.

Hours later, both girls walked out of the beach with the support of their families.

We left later and continued our prayers for the recovery and safety of the girls while they went home.

There’s NO hospital within an hour of this location and the girls most likely would have died if they had not been resuscitated.

I give all the praise to God and thank Him for keeping calm, and giving me the ability and strength to rescue and save both girls.

Visiting the National School for the Deaf & Mute in Freetown

Bobby Smith visited the National School for the Deaf & Mute as part of our ongoing efforts to support this unique school. He talked with the students about Hope for Lives in Sierra Leone through a sign language

See full size photos in our Flickr gallery here.