2008 Ministry Updates

Sanitation Project: Toilets and bathing areas were completed recently in the Grafton war-wounded community. There was a great need for sanitary bathroom facilities in Grafton. In some areas, the latrines were completely filled and people had to resort to relieving themselves in drainage ditches that flowed throughout the camp. For our next project, we plan to dig latrines for a school that does not have any toilet facilities. Students and teachers are currently going into the bush to relieve themselves. We hope to help provide safer and healthier bathroom facilities for this school. All of these latrines will help prevent disease and encourage proper sanitation.

Micro Business Loans: Change One has distributed several loans to individuals and families in the Newton war-wounded community. Some of these businesses include selling rice or kerosene, weaving and dying cloth, etc. As these loans are repaid, new loans can be granted and the program can expand. We hope that the loans will help these families to have a sustainable income in the future.

Medical Team: We are planning a medical outreach trip in late August/early September. We are working with a group of nurses, EMT’s, and doctors that will provide medical care for the war-wounded and displaced-persons communities around Freetown. We are also hoping to do a training session for workers in local churches, equipping them with basic first aid and other fundamental medical skills. There may also be opportunities to offer training sessions in impoverished areas for parents on basic hygiene and health care for their children.

Grafton Houses: We are still waiting on the Sierra Leonean government to offer the Grafton community a land grant so that we can begin building houses. There are nearly 2,000 people in Grafton still living in tents and tarpaulin shacks that were provided by the U.N. nearly a decade ago. We continue to pray for favor with the government officials so that we can move forward with the construction of homes for these families.