So, what are you actually doing in Sierra Leone?

One of my (Heleen's) favorite starters for any training in Sierra Leone has been a simple exercise: I ask all participants to stand up and to slowly turn around… all the way around … and carefully notice their environment, which is usually a big room filled with tables, chairs, and other people, and some windows which allow you to look outside. Then I ask everyone to squat down and do the same thing: turn around… all the way around …. and carefully notice what you see. This usually evokes quite a bit of laughter as there are always some stiff-limbed or high-heeled participants who struggle to keep their balance or even actually roll over!

                                                              

When everybody has returned to their seats I ask them to share the differences between their first and second time of looking around the room. Participants share how the first time they are able to see far away, across the tables and chairs and even further away through the window. The second time their view was much more limited: the tables and chairs suddenly seemed a lot bigger and blocked their view of the “bigger world”.

The exercise is called “Seeing the World from a Child’s Perspective” and it helps adults to remember that the world looks quite different through the eyes of a child. The world of Ebola is confusing enough for us adults, but even more so for children. In an earlier blog I wrote about some of the experiences children are currently going through and how I was hoping to contribute to the work Save the Children is doing to help children cope with these stressful events.

So these are a few of the things I have been doing over the past weeks:

-          Spending days in the Save the Children’s office to develop relevant training materials for various groups

-          Training Save the Children staff from Freetown, Pujehun and Kailahun on how to recognise symptoms of distress in children, and how to provide basic psychosocial support

-          Training of 22 mental health nurses stationed across the country in the management of more severe mental health symptoms in children who are affected by the Ebola crisis

-          Participation in meetings with Unicef, the Minstry of Social Welfare and other NGOs to give input in the development of guidelines and strategies

-          We (Save the Children) took the lead in the adaptation and translation of the Child Psychosocial Distress Screener for use in Sierra Leone. This tool will help us identify children in need of advanced psychosocial services.

-          And a very exciting project which I am working on right now: the development of a curriculum for Child Survivor Groups for children who have recovered from Ebola. Many of these children have lost family members, and the admission in the ETC has been quite traumatic for many of them. They told me about a little boy who is afraid to go to sleep as he remembers how people in plastic suits would come around at night to take away the bodies of the people around him who had died. I am sure there are many stories similar to his. In the child survivor groups, the children will be able to share their experiences and – we hope – find strength and courage again.

And what else have I done? I’ve sold or given away most of my belongings built up in 12 years in Sierra Leone, and am still in the process of deciding what of the leftovers will go into the three suitcases that Jon & I are hoping to take back. Initially it wasn’t easy to part with some of my “stuff”, but God has given me a real joy in seeing people go through my things and find just what they need - or like J. I have closed my bank account, sold my car, and am saying goodbyes to long-term friends. Although they may not be goodbyes forever – sometimes I think I am falling in love with this country all over again…. And having a fiancé who is eagerly studying Krio probably contributes to these feelings! J

Often my heart bleeds for the brokenness of this nation and sometimes I want to give up, go away and never come back. But the God of all grace continues to give strength. So we look up to Him who blesses us with guidance, strength and peace, and trust Him to direct us.

Save the Children Office in Freetown

Save the Children Office in Pujehun