Project : Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone (located in West Africa) emerged from a decade of rebel
war in 2002 with the help of Britain, the former colonial power, and a
large United Nations peacekeeping mission.
Sierra Leone is not just another African nation that needs help, but a nation emerging from a brutal and long rebel war that resulted in a large percentage of children left as orphans as well as many thousands of amputees who are desperately in need.
The objective of this project is to help rehabilitate the vulnerable people (orphanage children, amputees, widows, etc) who have unwarrantedly suffered from the carnage and atrocities of this rebel war.
Many international organizations and companies have made donations to Sierra Leone to help rehabilitate those affected by the war. However, most of these donations have not been used for their intended purposes or have not reached their target group. The donations have actually been squandered by the "middlemen" for corrupt purposes.
Boundless Hope's Sierra Leone Project collects donations (preferably in kind, educational material and healthcare supplies) and physically travels to Sierra Leone to distribute these donations or goods to the affected people. Only this direct method will ensure that those in need actually receive the donations. Even though this project will not solve all of the problems of this country, it is a start and a source of hope and rehabilitation for those who have no one to take care of them. Many have resorted to street begging, prostitution and child labor. There is an old saying: "a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step." We hope that this step will be a start and that many other people will join us along the way. Together we will make a difference.
About Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has a very rich deposit of natural resources, but few benefit from these resources. The trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" for their role in funding conflicts, perpetuated the civil war. The government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking. A UN-backed war court has been set up to try those, from both sides, who bear the greatest responsibility for the brutalities. The problems of poverty, tribal rivalry, and official corruption that caused the war are far from over.
More than 17,000 foreign troops disarmed tens of thousands of rebels and militia fighters. The country now faces the challenge of reconstruction. A lasting feature of the war (which left some 50,000 dead) was the atrocities committed by the rebels, whose trademark was to hack off the hands of their victims and mutilate people while still alive.
What you may have seen in films like Blood Diamond is not fiction to the people of Sierra Leone, but the reality of what they went through. Honestly, what was portrayed on that film was a milder version of reality. If the reality was actually shown, the film would not have passed for viewing in the western world.
The psychology behind the amputation of limbs, tongues or ears is the intent to instil panic within the government and in its citizens. In a previous election, the people had voted overwhelmingly for President Kabba. Since they used their hands to vote, dismembering their limbs would prevent them from casting another ballot for a democratic government. The rebels' propaganda campaign of fear was used to impose their will on the people of Sierra Leone, just like terrorists in the Middle East. The United States recently built a large embassy in Sierra Leone with C.I.A. and F.B.I. facilities on-site to help combat terrorism in all its forms.
Looking back, Sierra Leone shares close proximity and commonality with neighbouring Liberia, where the diabolical genesis of dehumanization and brutality started. The government discounted the rebels. But history has come to quite a different judgment. Dire warnings fell by the wayside, to be trodden on or ignored. The government assured its citizens that the dreadful situation was under control, but innocent, peaceful Sierra Leonean civilians encountered a bizarre, barbaric and innovative surgical nightmare.
A harrowing, decade-long civil war endured by people of Sierra Leone is now over, but many scars still remain. Top United Nations emissary Carolyn McAskie, responsible for peace-building, said: "The war has been over for five years. The peace has held; I think that's a Gold Standard. … There is still a lot to do though." Yet President Ahmed Tejan Kabba has publicly told the nation that his government is bogged down with other overwhelming national priorities; therefore he could not address the individual needs of his people. He advised every Sierra Leonean to start helping themselves.
Thousands of amputees in this tiny nation cannot help themselves. Their personal battles with trauma have only intensified. The amputees' traumatic experiences have caused more emotional, mental and psychological nightmares than their physical wounds could communicate.
We hope the work that we do and the donations we receive, however small, will go a long way in healing this ailing nation.