Last Days, Sierra Leone

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Jim left with Don Carley to check out the last two spring boxes in the new project.  When Don and his wife were sick, Don also had a fever but she did not.  I wondered, did he also get the flu?  Don was still feeling wimpy yesterday but got stronger as the day went on, but Jeanie felt just fine.  Then last night Jeanie had to teach a lesson.  After she got home someone visited to say their last goodbyes in person.  As they visited Jeanie began to feel sick again.  Sure enough, the throwing up began again!  So, I wonder if they both had the flu and food poisoning.  This makes me sick.  Both of us have spent time with both of them; we do hope we don’t catch anything for our trip home—it would just be too cruel!

The men visited the last two spring boxes and then Don took him to see one more spring box project proposal for the future.  Jim told them he’d consider it if they collected 20% of the cost of the work and save it.  Otherwise, they won’t collect fees, as this is a huge problem here.  If they agree, maybe we’ll do it on the next project.  If we do another project without a couple, we might do springs here in Freetown and wells in Kenema District.  Only time will tell if we want to do it this way again.  It is hard with a couple here in Sierra Leone, and it feels impossible without one as we used to do.  Brother Thomas the site monitor was thrilled with this new approach because he has to deal with these communities that refuse to pay for water.  He will be visiting them for the next several months till all work is completed by the communities and the contractor and beyond, and that they are collecting money for the water for repairs.

There is so much water here, coming out of the springs.  As you can see, children do most of the fetching, 

along with their mommas.

This morning Jim and I worked on the report of what he saw yesterday.  Water is coming out of these places like crazy and there is so much of it.  Unfortunately, much of the concrete work was poured in the rains and during heavy runoff and so it got eroded and it has to be fixed.  It is hard to work here as most people in Africa generally feel as though water is always free, even though it wasn’t free to fix it for them, still they feel entitled.  We pay for our water, as do people everywhere.  Water might be free here but clean water is not.  Brother Lionel Thomas is an excellent and strong site monitor, and he has a difficult job here.  Carley’s leave on Sunday.

Jim said the hiking the last couple of days was grueling, climbing over boulders in steep areas.  Each day he came back looking like someone had dumped a bucket of water on his back—he was soaked through with sweat—so very sorry I missed it, not! 

Some of the water projects were fenced so that they can collect money.  The excuse used for not collecting was always, ‘it’s the rainy season and we only collect in the dry’; ‘the project hasn’t been turned over yet.’  After which they would tell them, okay, we just turned it over to you—so start collecting!

The giant water tank where we had to re-concrete inside and out.  It used to leak like a sieve.  There is a spring above that was developed to get more water, and then it is gravity fed to this 200,000 liter tank.  There is a huge community all around this area. I have been to most of these places on other trips. 

We prepared to depart the next day, Thursday, to take our long trek back to Accra—across the water, fly to Liberia, stop 45 minutes, fly onto Accra.  Get another visa (1 hour minimum), wait in the custom line, another hour, hopefully see our luggage, and hopefully find our ride back to the hotel.  By the time we get to bed, it will be well after midnight, but we are happy that we can sleep in as long as we like.  Then we’ll get a ride to the office by taxi, visit with whomever is there (hopefully our Area Welfare Manager John Buah), go back to the hotel, stay over the checkout time, and go back to the airport for our 11 PM flight.  It’s always good to be home, even though for me this was an easy trip considering I didn’t have to work in the heat too much. 

Plans for 2018: Nepal, back to West Africa

Till next time,

Jim & Karen, E/S Greding, mom & dad