Ahmed Sahid Nasralla (De Monk)
I learned about SEND Sierra Leone’s work around 2014 through my colleague Alhaji Manika Kamara. It was during the Ebola crisis, and I was commissioned by the then President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Kelvin Lewis, to lead a small group of journalists from selected media houses into provincial towns that were making good progress in recording less or zero cases of infections. The assignment took us to several towns and villages in the South and Eastern regions of the country, including Kailhaun, Pujehun, and Bonthe (Island) districts.
Manika, a reporter for Awoko newspaper, was part of the small group of reporters under my supervision. The reporters’ task was to write as many stories as possible on the resilience of the medical personnel, the traditional and local authorities, and the people in those places and what strategies they initiated to score success in the fight against the dreaded disease. The stories were to inspire other regions to fight hard to move toward zero infection.
And so we were in Kailahun at some point when I learned that Manika had been reporting on the activities of SEND Sierra Leone through Christian Aid since 2010, when the organization was barely two years old and operating a small office, with only one vehicle, in the Ebola-ravaged district. At the height of the Ebola crisis, a new director named Joseph Ayamga, coming from Christian Aid, had taken over the management of the NGO and, with whom Manika had already forged a good relationship. So, during our assignment in Kailahun, Manika took the opportunity to visit the SEND SL office with us, and he introduced me to Joseph. That SLAJ assignment with the reporters and the subsequent meeting with Joseph marked the turning points in my journalism career. The fact is, I was almost turning my back on mainstream journalism, having just resigned as Managing Director of Africa Young Voices to give my all to my Arts and Media company, De Monk Production/Ticha Lemp Lemp Media, when Kelvin called me back to serve my constituent.
Joseph Ayamga was an instant inspiration. He was a modest personality, humble, a servant with an amazing work ethic and discipline; honest, committed, determined, a solutionist, a visionary, and above all, very friendly. Joseph came in at the right time. SEND SL was creeping, and the young man had this vision of putting together a dedicated and committed team to transform the NGO into a strong institution that would help address the myriad of challenges facing women and girls in the Eastern region and beyond. Joseph strongly believes in the potential and power of women and girls as catalysts to bring about the desired change in their homes, communities, and the nation.
After the SLAJ Ebola reporting assignment, I joined the core team of young journalists that Joseph relied on to tell the story of SEND Sierra Leone as he embarked on his transformational agenda with the NGO. For the first time in my journalism career, I left the comfort of my office and ventured into the field to see, feel, and tell the stories of the people who matter. Almost every two weeks, we would be on our way to the Eastern region to cover activities of SEND SL. The assignments took us to almost every village in the region, hard-to-reach areas with rugged roads and sometimes no roads; sometimes sleeping on the road, sometimes passing the night in some mosquito-infested village. To Joseph (and SEND SL), no remote community is unreachable, no matter the terrain, when it comes to taking life-changing opportunities to the people. And he was not just sending us into the field, he would go and come back with us in most cases.
It became an exciting and adventurous routine for me, something I look forward to every month, waiting for that call from Joseph, and off we go. When we go into the field, we do not only report on the specific activities of SEND SL; we have the opportunity to do other stories outside of our assignments. Some of those stories won excellence awards for several of our colleagues.
I remember one assignment that I went to alone. It was one of the farthest villages in Kenema district called Palima. It is a small village with a population of about 425 located in Tongay Chiefdom in Kenema District, Eastern Sierra Leone. It is about 55 miles from Kenema town, and you have to cross the river Sewa at two different points using a canoe. In the rainy season, the water levels rise, and the village is cut off from communities on the other side of the river for months.
The SEND SL driver would drop me at a point where I would cross the first river in an old-fashioned hand-pulled ferry or a rickety canoe carrying passengers to and fro. On that day, the ferry and the boat were on hold for hours because one of the operators had drowned during a boat accident, and they were yet to find his body. I was told that until they found the body and performed some ritual, no travel would take place across the waters. Eventually, the body was found, the ritual performed, and I crossed with the ferry. The SEND vehicle would wait for me until I returned. At the other end, a bike rider was waiting for me to take me to Palima. And it started raining. We rode under the rain, and what I thought was a short distance seemed like a marathon. When I also thought we had reached the destination, it turned out I had one more river to cross, and this time with a canoe paddled by two boys. This river, compared to the first one with the ferry, was bigger, and the tide was heavy. I could not believe what I was getting into. These two boys? This canoe? This river? Me getting into this boat? I had to summon the nerves I had come thus far; I couldn’t go back empty-handed.
Palima is a diamondiferous area inhabited by Mendes and Temnes, two of Sierra Leone’s largest rival tribes. They are predominantly artisanal miners and subsistence farmers. The introduction of the gardening project under the Gender Model Family (GMF) by SEND SL brought about positive changes in the way the villagers commune as a people.
The 70-year-old Village Chief and Mende tribal head, Mammie Koroma, told me they enjoyed living together in tolerance and peace by respecting their differences due to the gender, livelihood, and health education programs implemented by SEND SL. She said they have learned about new farming techniques and how to manage their meager resources well.
Similarly, the Assistant Village Chief and Temne tribal head, Idrissa Bangura, 50, told me the GMF has helped them maintain a healthy environment and respect for their women. They ensured their compounds and communities were cleaned regularly, and they shared roles and responsibilities with their women.
Palima boasts a United Methodist Church (UMC) Primary School, but there’s no health post in the village. The nearest health post is 11 miles away in Punduru, crossing streams and rivers to get there.
Looking back, I keep wondering how I got into that boat, and having those two boys paddling hard against the heavy tide to cross me over to the village was beyond my comprehension. Every time I remember that journey, I breathe a sigh of relief that I am still here. That was the most risky journey I have embarked on in my journalism career.
However, that has been my motivation for reporting for SEND SL. Every time I report a story about SEND SL, it’s not only about public relations, it’s about a problem and a solution to the problem; it’s about getting the people to be the drivers of that solution; it’s about transfer of knowledge and skills; it’s about letting the people know that the NGO will not always be there to provide the funds, and so they should take ownership of their development; it’s about inspiring the people to look around their communities, appreciate the resources they have, and utilize those resources for their common good until help comes from outside; it’s about self-belief, self-help, unity, and working together to achieve common goals.
That is why even when I assumed the leadership of SLAJ, and despite the workload that it brings, I still found time to attend SEND SL programs and report on them. The wealth of experience I have gained in all the years working with SEND SL helped me a lot in leading the journalism union in Sierra Leone. Both my SALT (Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn, and Transfer) and MEAL (Mobilize, Evaluate, Allocate, and Liberate) manifestoes were inspired by my work with SEND SL.
From a small office in Kailahun district, under the leadership of Joseph, SEND SL has grown from strength to strength, extending its operations to 15 districts across Sierra Leone, including Kenema, Kailahun, Kono, Falaba, Bombali, Pujehun, Bonthe, Bo, Western Area, Moyamba, Tonkolili, Karene, Kambia, Port Loko, and Koinadugu. The organization now serves 1,655 communities across 75 chiefdoms, ensuring that its interventions are tailored to the unique needs of each region. From empowering rural women economically and politically and establishing women in governance networks as a platform to prepare women for political office; from promoting community engagement and social accountability, education, and digital literacy; from promoting Health and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives in rural communities; to the introduction of the Gender Model Family, and the establishment of Nyapui Radio and Nyapui School of Excellence for Girls dedicated to advancing the cause of women and girls in Sierra Leone, I am proud, privileged, and honored to have played my humble part in the success story of SEND SL.
I was, therefore, not surprised when I heard that SEND SL was this month bestowed with three prestigious awards from the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MOPED) and Sierra Leone Association of Non-Government Organisations (SLANGO) in the areas of Education, Gender social welfare and inclusion, and Governance, thereby reinforcing the NGO’s leadership in sustainable development and its enduring commitment to community empowerment.
Congratulations to SEND SL Country Director Joseph Ayamga, the entire management and staff, past and present, and to the donors who have supported the NGO to take life-changing opportunities to rural and urban communities.
Finally, congratulations to the core media team: Alhaji Manika Kamara, Fatima Sesay, Joseph Margai, Mohamed Massaquoi, Ibrahim Samura, Samuel Abioseh Stanley, and my humble self. Those memories will forever linger as we make new ones.
Note: The author is the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
