Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1 July 2018

Child Care Center Orphanage and skills training site in

Makankisa, Gbonkolenken Sierra Leone

Foot Print Mission SL “Safe and educate a child for a healthy nation”

Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs opens Child Care Center It was a wonderful day on 29 July 2018 in Makankisa, Gbonkolenken, Sierra Leone. The sun was shining, like it knew something great was going on: the official Opening of the Child Care Center of Foot Print Mission!

Many important guests were there, including Miss Bendu Dasama, the minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs! She was one of the people cutting the ribbon and officially opening one of the buildings. The other building were opened by Jack, an Alma student representing the people of Alma, paramound chief Bai Sunthuba Osara III, and a representative for the Rotary Club in Bo.

Via phone call also Dr Jeff Smith, the president of Foot Print Mission USA was joining the program, and recieved great appreciation from all present.

The children admired their new home and also had fun with all their guests.

Decoration, Catering and entertainment were adding to this special day. Thank you all!

See a picture overview on page 4 and 5

Left to right: Joseph L Conteh, manager Child Care Center, Minister Dasama, Esther Kamara, matron, Hon ABD Sesay, director.

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

The matron of the Child Care Center As per advice of the ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, and as we also saw it very important, a careful selection was done to get a good matron for the Child Care Center in Makankisa.

We are lucky to have found a good person and a right hand for Joseph L Conteh, the manager. The matron is Esther Moses Kamara, she is 31 years. Esther is not married and has no biological children, but recently received her 17 children and is expecting 3 more.

Esther is a native of Gbonkolenken. She has a background of SECHN (state enrolled community health nurse), which she obtained in Lunsar St John Of God nursing school. She has working experience in several hospitals and clinics (Mabesseneh, Holy Spirit Hospital, community care center Mawajba, Rosanda village, Lady of Gadalupe Clinic in Mile 91 and the Government Hospital in Magburaka).

She is really passionate about taking care of these orphans, as she knows what it is to be an orphan. When she was 27 years old, she became orphan, as during the Ebola no good medical care was available for her parents when they got sick. She was really supported by a counsellor during that period. One day she hopes to become a professional counsellor herself.

Since she started the job she has been assisting Mr Conteh in preparing the opening ceremony, by distributing the invitation letters, preparing the homes, buying food for the children for

their arrival. She has been preparing the children for the opening ceremony, making sure they had a good breakfast before the guests were arriving. And during the opening she has been serving the guest of the high table.

Now she is always making sure and helping preparing the food for the children, getting fresh bread from Yele early in the morning, together with the mothers preparing lunch for the children, getting the needed items from the store.

At night all children and staff get together in one of the houses for prayers: they sing songs together, dance and pray for each and everyone (children, donors, village, ect, ect) and they say thanks for the privilege of having this Child Care Center. The children really enjoy this time together.

When asked about the most enjoyable moment of this last week Esther does not have to think long: the opening ceremony. It was a great happening and a real success!

When asked about the toughest moment of this last week, Esther answers, when two children wanted to escape. They were about to leave the gate. As they were not used to their new place, they wanted to go home. Esther took them, talked to them, shared some bread with them and later they could even smile a bit. The days after that Esther was a bit afraid for the children to play near the gate. But now all are used to the place and may play all over the compound.

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

The mothers of the Child Care Center

The Child Care Center of Foot Print Mission has two mothers, one for each house.

One of the mothers is called Zainab Yatteh, she is 22 years old. She comes from Matopie, in Gbonkolenken. She is not married; she has one daughter Ramatu who stays with Zainab’s mother in Matopie. Zainab did not go to school.

When Zainab heard about the Child Care Center and

that they needed mothers for these

children she applied as she felt sorry for these children.

Zainab takes good care of the children at her care, she wash

them, prepares their food, cleans

the compound, encourages them when

they are upset and does their laundry.

The children they like rice the best, and their tea with bread in the morning.

Today they will get rice with beans and fish.

Zainab has plans for her own life, for now that is taking care of the children at the Child Care Center, later she hope to get a chance to learn how to read and write herself.

The other mother is Mariatu Turay, she is 21 years old. Mariatu went to school up to SS2 (senior secondary school class 2). She is not married; she has one son Hassan Kargbo, who is

at Yele with her mother. Mariatu likes taking care of the children: clean the bedrooms, do the laundry and wash the children. She has 10 children in her house. Mariatu tells me the children like playing, the boys like football the most and the girls like playing with dolls (but they do not have dolls for now). The children listen well to her, eg they go to bed when she tells them to. When they wake up at night she brings them to the toilet. Most children have holiday now, but in September they will start school in Yele.

Mariatu’s aim in life for now is to take care of these children. “ For now I want to concentrate on my current job.”

Zainab Yatteh Mariatu Turay

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

Amadu Kanu

Village people join

Local school children perform

Ramatu Tholley

Danny and Jack from ALMA

Samuel Kanu

Local school children Local woman making music

Kadiatu enjoying

Arrival of the minister Arrival of Social Welfare

Danny and Jack

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

Grandfather of orphans Danny speaks on behalf of

dr Jeff

High table

SDA youth choir Local school children performing

Press blowing balloon

Paramount chief cuts ribbon

Hon ABD makes a speech

Jack cuts ribbon

Representative Rotary Club Bo

Minister cuts ribbon

Press interviews Esther

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

Working with children, especially with poor and deprived children has been a passion I always wished to fulfil. I had several opportunities but the experience differs. From 1997 - 2005 after the cruel war in Sierra Leone, I had the opportunity of serving malnourished children in an International Non Governmental Organization called ACTION CONTRA LA FAIM (ACF). Here we went to villages, where we screened children for signs and symptoms of malnutrition; the severe ones we took to our Therapeutic Feeding centre for treatment and the Moderately malnourished children we refered to our dry ration centers were their mothers collect food to feed them at home. In either case, a child is accompanied by the real mother or another relative as caregiver. The aim here is to get the children well nourished and healthy before being discharged to go home and continue their normal life.

This time is different! I am the Project Manager for the FOOT PRINT MISSION SL's

Child Care Centre at Makankisa via Yele in Sierra Leone. Our aim is to save and educate Ebola Orphaned children in our centre. We did identification and screening of these Ebola orphaned children in their villages. Unlike the cases of malnutrition, here the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs is totally involved with their independent verification of the same children and then file a history of each child to a court where the Magistrate review the documents and sign the "Court Order" that legally gives the right to have these children separated from their original homes/Foster homes to a residential centre.

The second difference is that these orphaned children will stay under our care and protection up to age 20 without the love and company of a mother or father because they are dead. Our staff takes the responsibility of each child till when they would have graduated from a University or learnt a trade that will make them independent. The thought of this sometimes creates fear in me as a Manager, thinking where funds will come to take total care of the feeding, clothing, education, medication, entertainment and all it takes to make a child happy, healthy and useful in society. However, I have decided to take this journey with these children and will not let them down. I love them all!! Wont you join us in this journey?

A new experience working with children

By Joseph L Conteh, manager Child Care Center

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Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

Solar lights installed Quite some time back already the Sorie Project of Jim Pierce from the USA donated 3 sets of

solar lights, one for each house. Each one consists of a solar panel, a small battery unit, two bulbs to hang on the ceiling and a mobile

chargeable lamp. The small battery unit also has a USB entry, so also a phone can be charged via the system.

Via good coordination between Jim Pierce and Maggie, Maggie was able to bring them to Sierra Leone when she came in December.

Before the opening we have not been able to install the systems, but now that is over it has become high time to get them there. So Mr Rudi and dr Erdi came to the Child Care Center on Friday 6 July. Mr Rudi managed to get all three installed the same day!

Now besides the little time the generator is running to pump water, also the rest of the evening there is some light in the houses.

A big THANK YOU to the Sorie Project for this donation. We are looking forward for you to see it with you own eyes in August!

Beautification of the ground

As the children and staff are now in the Center, the last details of the buildings and surrounding are getting attention.

This made Mr Conteh to start planting pineapple and banana on the compound with the help of one of the older boys, Alhaji, and the security.

It might take 2 years but after that the staff and the children will literally reap the fruits of today’s labour.

The aim is that there will be more crops in and around the compound. And later the Child Care Center will also get its own farm, where our children and other young people will be taught the ins and outs of farming.

Foot Print Mission SL Issue 1, July 2018

You can help by sponsoring a child These children lost their parents, therefore Foot Print Mission has taken the responsibility to care for them. This cost money.

We hope you will help us by sponsoring one of the children. You can do so via http://www.footprintsmissions.org

For only $ 35/month you can support a child!

These children need care from our ‘mothers’, they need good and healthy food, cloths, playing and teaching materials, medical care and schooling to build them a future.

Or as said during the opening ceremony: we hope these children will be the doctors, engineers and leaders of tomorrow.

With your help this is possible!

Aminata Fullah