The last two days I am beginning to get my head around Freetown. In all my busy work schedule before I came, I’d not really got my head around the fact that Sierra Leone is, according to the UN, the second poorest country on earth.
Poverty is everywhere, shacks that house seemingly impossibly large families have been built on spare land, even at the YMCA, they come right up to the 4 walls, meaning the YMCA building is surrounded by what is effectively a shanty town.
Most people there had fled the rural areas for the relative safety of the capital in the early days of the war and now find themselves trapped by poverty. This is the most immediate sign on the recent war.
Its hard to avoid the signs of war, they almost seem to haunt you. On almost every street corner, groups of men, amputees, sit around, some begging. They are left with the most obvious scars of all.
Many of the older colonial buildings have obvious damage to them and many plots now sit silently, where wooden homes were burnt down of blown up. Again, scars left on every street. The ruins seem eerie, many obvious, other hidden behind corrugated iron, other with new building being built out of the rubble.
Yet it also the most colourful city I’ve seen for ages and one of the most beautiful. It is built on and surrounded by huge hills lied with jungle, making it so green. This fits perfectly with the colourful buildings, street signs and fauna that line the roads, along with the multitude of street stalls that line nearly every street. The people too make this such a vibrant place to be. Without resorting to clichés, they are so unbelievably friendly and happy – there is such a determination to move on and to try and build a better future – this seems to dominate every conversation I have.
The group from Northern Ireland arrive tomorrow, so the work begins, and I hope to get an even better insight into this fascinating country.
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