Sierra Leone continued . . .

Portions of St. George’s Cathedral School were damaged during the Civil War that erupted in 1998, and Christ Church assisted in rebuilding once the war ended.

A similar relationship began in 1992 between Christ Church and the Milton Margai School for the Blind in Freetown. There are 84 children in the school. Over the ensuing years we have provided typewriters, Braille-writers and equipment, musical instruments and 36 annual scholarships.

In 1996, another relationship developed with Dr. Kojo Carew, MD, who runs the Netland Private Hospital in Freetown. In cooperation with a major hospital in Dayton, we have arranged to ship a large number of medical supplies to Dr. Carew. These became critical during the Civil War. The Netland Hospital treated large numbers of amputees and other injured persons with those supplies. Continuing support has enabled the clinic to hire a social worker to follow up with patients once they have returned to refugee camps. The Hospital is also one of the few “training” hospitals for nurses in the country.

Bishop Lynch, the Dean of St. George’s, a former Rector of Christ Church, and many others have made a number of visits in both directions over the years. The personal relationships and contacts have helped to cement our love and regard and have challenged us to be open to one another and to our contexts of ministry. In the company of Ade Ademu-john, five years ago two US Congressmen went to Sierra Leone and visited with St. George’s Cathedral and School, the School for the Blind, the refugee camps, government officials, and rebel leaders. Upon their return, the congressmen sponsored legislation that successfully banned the sale of “blood diamonds” in the USA.

In 2004, Christ Church was privileged to support physical repairs to the Cathedral in Freetown, including a new roof and fixes to water damaged walls. The wonderful impact of that extensive project was to provide jobs in a land that suffers from over 90% unemployment. All of this is prologue to the issue of the ministry of reconciliation. As in South Africa, the problems of how to move forward in an atmosphere where retribution and vengeance can be the rule, the Cathedral Church of St. George in Freetown is positioned to be a significant influence. Bishop Lynch, the Dean of the Cathedral, and their people are among those who have a voice in how to shape a “truth and reconciliation” effort. Upon the recommendation of Christ Church, Dayton, the International Community of the Cross of Nails, recently recognized St. George’s, Freetown, as a Centre of Reconciliation.

Want to provide a scholarship for a student in Sierra Leone? Contact our parish office.