The money goes directly to Sierra Leone and the families in the Gorama Chiefdom, Kono District. The population is approximately 3000 people. Any medication they require must be paid for by a largely cashless society. We provide free medicine for these people year round. Life is very physical for every member of the community. Crops are grown and harvested. The jungle provides more food. Some goats and chickens are farmed. Rice is pounded by hand and cooked over an open fire. There is no electricity or running water. Some villages have wells to provide water, but many have to travel significant distances for this precious commodity. The mortality rate has fallen dramatically sinceour first trip in 2008. School attendance and productivity are up.
All the money raised goes to buy medicine, pay for education, and hire support personnel as well as vehicles with drivers in Sierra Leone.
Legal expertise is donated by George Walton of Johns, Southward, Glazier, Walton and Margettes, Victoria, BC. Auditing is donated by Derek Lamb with Chan-Nowosad-Boates Chartered Professional Accountants, Campbell River, BC.
All volunteers from North America cover their own travelling expenses. Professor Aiah Gbakima volunteers his time in Sierra Leone.
The team needs to accomplish the purposes stated in our Society Act, which requires a blend of volunteers and employees. This blend must also be a mix of North Americans and Sierra Leonians. The volunteers are Lab Technicians, Nurses, Doctors and Pharmacists. The blend changes every trip in country. The employees are paid for their specific skills on a per diem basis. They include Nurses, Drivers and Translators. Doctors are provided by the Military Hospital in Freetown via Col. Foday Sahr MD. Some of the vehicles are donated and some are rented. We are asking our volunteers to donate financially to help keep costs down on vehicle expenses.
Education fees consist of currently funding a female Nurse to become a Nurse Practitioner, which is a three year program in Sierra Leone. This will enable the nurse to better serve the Gorama chiefdom as she will be able to treat more serious conditions. The Nurse Practitioner student is a part of our clinic days if she has no exams at the time, and staffs the clinic in Bunabu while not in school. Mary, the first nurse we provided education funding for, recently completed her Nurse Practicioner studies, passed the Sierra Leone national nursing board exams and is now back full time at the clinic in Bunabu, Gorama Chiefdom.
Medicine is supplied all year long through generous donations from our supporters.