Blog entry from my work newsletter:-
The two and a half weeks of my trip to the Craig Bellamy Foundation Academy have been completely amazing. Sierra Leone is a beautiful country and the trip has been life changing for me. Before I left the UK I was excited at the opportunity to share my knowledge as a First Aider with St John Ambulance England with the staff members of the CBF league but a little daunted at how the trip would affect me having never travelled to Africa before. Even more daunting to be making the trip alone!
Arriving in the middle of an electric storm to a pitch black airport roasting hot at 4 am I would never have realised how much I would come to love this place. It has been a massive culture shock, not to mention a shock to my immune system! Initially I was horrified at the hustle and bustle and the seemingly filthiness of the city of Freetown. First impressions count for a lot and I was definitely panicking wondering what on earth I had let myself in for. Landing at such a basic airport and travelling in the dark to the ferryport to board the Kissy Ferry, filled to the brim with people, livestock, cars and produce, I think I was speechless for possibly the first time ever. Suddenly nearly three weeks seemed an awfully long time..
Travelling to and arriving at the Academy my view quickly changed. The landscape is completely stunning - think Jurassic Park meets the Caribbean. Set up above the small fishing village of Tombo nestled against the foot of several stunning mountains the view is incredible. With very little sound, other than that of the boys going to and from lessons, the academy is remarkably peaceful.
The academy is home to 32 boys of various ages and several members of staff, the majority of whom are volunteers.The volunteers are great, everyone made me feel at home here and I don’t think I would have enjoyed my visit as much without them. Its definitely reassuring for a ‘newbie’ to have the experienced remind you that they once felt exactly the same way on their first visit!The boys themeselves are adorable, polite and friendly and extremely talented in many ways. The opportunity these kids are being provided is incredible, without the academy most of these boys would be out of school now and certainly would be facing a bleaker future. By receiving the education and qualifications the Academy offers, these boys are being given the very best start in life here, and that’s without the nutrition, the environment, the chance to meet people of all different nationalities.. never mind the football training and chances for scholarships!
The foundation also runs a league for boys and girls across the country, focussing on four regions, Freetown, Makeni, Bo and Kenema. Whilst here I have been providing awareness days to the league staff and volunteers in first aid to prepare them for injuries they may encounter on the pitch. The difference is here there are no ambulances to collect you and very few hospitals, those that do exist have limited experience and equipment, so experience first aiders at the matches are vital. The awareness training has certainly proven to be interesting! Without the basic equipment we are used to in the UK the volunteers here have to improvise and I certainly think I even learnt a lesson or two from them!
I have also been to work with the local primary and preschool in Tombo providing some basic first aid care to the children here. The Academy works closely with the local schools and this has possibly been the favourite part of my trip. These kids and their injuries have tested my knowledge and experience to the extreme. Large wounds or sores are common with the chances of infection being high and the families generally unable to affordtreatment at the local clinics. As the start of the rainy season begins,torrential downpours flood the community leaving wounds even more susceptible to infection from the damp and humidity,and the lack ofknowledge regarding cleanliness and infection control does not help either.
For the sake of some basic first aid care these large injuries are preventable. To us the cost of a prescription for antibiotics or basic first aid supplies is anirritant; to the majority of people in Sierra Leone it’s an expense that is simply unaffordable. In many cases some antiseptic cream and a plaster would be sufficient to keep an infection at bay. Thanks to the donations I received before my trip I had several suitcases filled to the brim with first aid supplies and was able to use these to help many of the children here. On my busiest session I treated over 30 children in one morning with various injuries from missing toenails, deep open sores, fly strike to a serious infection that required several follow up visits to the Academy itself.
At the academy we also seemed to have a spate of injuries and sickness, a torn ligament in the knee, a concussion, several boys sick with malaria and one late night rush to the hospital in Freetown over an hour away! And that’s not including the several times the staff members and volunteers were sick! I certainly had my fair share of sickness but none of this has put me off a return visit.
Despite all of the shock I have experienced at the lack of basic supplies here I have also been astounded at the nature of the beautiful people of Sierra Leone, warm and welcoming and full of life.
The colours and vibrancy of the communities are unforgettable. Despite witnessing desperate poverty I have never felt more at peace than here. The people of Sierra Leone smile constantly and the vibe is contagious. The children’s smiles especially melt myheart and I shall miss the calls of ‘apotto apotto’ everywhere I go! I can certainly say that experiencing a completing different way of life really does make you appreciate the small stuff.
I have so many amazing memories from Sierra Leone. This has been the trip of a lifetime and completely unforgettable, I feel privileged to have been able to come and hope I’ve helped to make a small difference. Sierra Leone has changed a part of me for good, and I can promise I will be back, soon..
