Let's Walk Together...

As they say all great journeys begin with a single step, and this past summer when Khadarlis returned to Sierra Leone, they took more than a single step towards reaching their goals.  Thanks to the dedicated hard work of its supporters and volunteers Khadarlis was able to get closer to its vision of self-sustainability for every village in Sierra Leone.

Khadarlis for Sierra Leone was successful in bringing clean water to communities, building houses, supporting agriculture projects, handing out school supplies, installing solar energy, distributing the contents of a 40 ft. container and making sure every person in the village had a pair of shoes to call their own!

Here’s a brief summary of the work Khadarlis did on their recent trip to Sierra Leone:

•  Built a water well that will service over 400 villagers with clean safe water

•  Built 5 mud/cement houses that will provide shelter for 17 families (thanks to volunteers from Bryant)

• Partnered with Sierra Leone Department of Agriculture to participate in the ABC program which involves educating farmers & supplying them with tools and seeds

•  Farmers organizations set up in all four villages
•  Palm oil plantation started with 40 acres (10 acres in each village)
•  Cashew plantation in each village (6 acres in each village)
• Pilot program with vegetables that was a great success

•  First day of school – every child in each of the village schools received a pen, pencil, & notebook

•  Refurbished the old Jimmi Secondary School Library – painting, shelving, and stocking it with books – this will benefit 5000 students

• Installed 36 driveway solar lights to light up the pathway in the town centre

•  Distributed container items which included – blankets, clothing, sheets, toys, furniture, mobility tools for the elderly  and over 7000 non-perishable food donations

•  Supplied the Jimmi Clinic with gloves, bedding, sanitary aides, bandages, medications, and gave first aid supplies to the birthing centre for deliveries

• Partnered with the Jimmi Barbgo World Vision for technology – this enabled Khadarlis to use their office space & internet for free

•  Khadarlis also registered with the Department of Economic Development, Social Welfare, and SLANGO (Sierra Leone Association of Non-governmental Organization)

Khadarlis is only beginning…we have many more steps to take on this journey towards our goals in Sierra Leone and we invite you to join us!  Please go to www.khadarlis.org  to see how you can help.

Education has the Power to Raise a Nation, One Brick at a Time...

Sports Day

It is widely agreed upon that a sure way to 'development' for any nation is through education and Sierra Leone is no exception. But what if the school in your community is nothing more than a makeshift shack, or a delepatated collapsing building with no desks, no tables, and no books...chances are the floor is made of dirt, and the roof leaks in the rainy season, reducing your classroom to a giant mud pit. This tragic situation is one of the big challenges facing communities across Sierra Leone in providing their children an opportunity to attend school.

The 1991-2002 Civil War left over 1200 schools destroyed across Sierra Leone. While the past 10 years has seen the government address certain accessibility issues little has been done in terms of rebuilding school infrastructure. When education is understood as a basic human right like food and shelter it becomes obvious to the observer that in Sierra Leone education is still a privilege. With over 70% of the country living on less than $1/day, struggling to meet their basic needs, education becomes a mere afterthought. Often, large families will only have the chance to send some of their children to school and it is usually the boys - this leaves many girls without the ability to go to school. However, even when these challenges are overcome access to education in a community means very little if there is no proper school for the students to attend.

Knowing this, where can we begin? Well, we can help by building schools and fixing schools. We can create a space of learning and make universal education possible for the people of Sierra Leone. Everyone deserves to go to a school they can learn in, be empowered in and develop the skills that will make them our leaders of tomorrow.

Education has the power to raise a Nation one brick at a time...

For more information or to see how you can help please go to: www.khadarlis.org

A House that is No Longer a Home...

From 1991 – 2002 a civil war devastated homes and communities in the once abundant and thriving country of Sierra Leone. During these 11 years more than 1.2 million people were displaced and over 300, 000 homes were destroyed as a result of the conflict. Now after more than 10 years of rebuilding many villages are still facing a housing crisis.

Rural communities in Sierra Leone saw the greatest destruction to their homes during the war - these houses were destroyed systematically and with intent by all those involved in the conflict. As you travel through the countryside the ghosts of these former homes can be seen & the challenge of rebuilding them still remains.

The primary challenge facing many families is lack of money for rebuilding. Even the most basic homes without electricity or water – made of local materials, like mud bricks & grass roofs – still require equipment and labour, which is often beyond the financial means of most villagers. This desperate situation has created an environment where homes have become extremely overcrowded – with large families & extended family members all sharing very limited space. Most houses that are still standing are in various states of depletion. Pests such as rats, mice & cockroaches are common problems in the home and so are mosquitoes that have the potential to infect sleeping families with malaria, as the windows do not have proper screens etc. The houses contain little ventilation, are very hot and often with leaky roofs and full of mold.
Without the help of friends and relatives, or a charity or foreign aid agency coming to assist – the housing situation for most rural Sierra Leoneans will continue to deteriorate creating health problems and strain on an ever growing population.

Now imagine being able to help provide a family with a house that has solid walls and space big enough for a growing family, a roof that doesn’t leak in the rainy season, and windows that have screens to keep out mosquitoes that carry malaria - the primary cause of death among infants and children in this region.

But let’s even go one step further and imagine a house that could filter and store rain water providing clean safe water all year round, a house that was outfitted with solar electricity so children could study at night, with an indoor bathroom that is sanitary, safe and pest free - imagine a house built to stay cool by day and keep out mosquitoes by night.

Now let’s go beyond just providing the people houses, let’s imagine giving the people of Sierra Leone a HOME…

Water is Life...

Water is Life...

Could you imagine if you had to walk 6 miles just to get clean water --- water to drink, cook, do laundry, clean your home, or take a shower - well that is what many people in rural Sierra Leone have to do, and most often this burden falls upon the woman and children of the community. These already vulnerable populations are required to travel miles and miles throughout the day carrying heavy loads of water just to meet their basic needs.

Having to spend hours a day collecting water prevents people from taking part in activities that could otherwise help lift them out of this desperate situation - like children going to school - with no education the cycle of poverty is doomed to continue. If there is no water food cannot be grown, and people remain hungry and malnourished. Without clean available water a multitude of illness’s constantly plague men, woman, and children in these communities - including typhoid and cholera, just to name a few.

In a country that sees both a rainy season and a dry season the lack of infrastructure that exists to maintain an adequate supply of fresh water year-round is one of the main factors challenging development. The simplest measure of providing clean safe accessible drinking water would contribute significantly to a villages overall health and prosperity. When water is easily available people can concentrate on other tasks - like growing food, going to school , and doing business - if people are sick they cannot work!

Clean safe water is being used and abused all over the world. Water security is an issue we must all become familiar with, it is not only limited to the villages of Sierra Leone -- but we can begin by bringing our awareness and attention to those most vulnerable, those whose lives currently depend on it.

A few facts about water...

1 in 6 people on planet Earth have no access to safe water - that’s 1 billion people!
Half the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water-related illnesses
1 in 4 deaths of children under five is linked to poor water & sanitation
Village’s with access to clean water can see a 50% decrease in infant mortality



*Water is Life*



For more information, or to see how you can help -- please go to www.khadarlis.org