Huge change is taking place in the town of Gbap (pronounced bap), Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half the population live on less than 80p/€0.95. Ten years of brutal civil war has severely hampered development. With little infrastructure in many areas, it is one of the hungriest places in the world.
Four out of five families in rural Sierra Leone do not have enough to eat.
Things started to change with the arrival of the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone (MCSL).
Christian Aid works entirely through local partners – local organisations on the ground – who know the needs of the communities in which they work. MCSL is one such partner.
It encouraged the community to set up a village development committee (VDC) that gave the community a channel through which to make their voices heard. Power structures in Sierra Leone are complex, and the voices of women and younger adults, in particular, have traditionally been ignored.
MCSL has helped the people of Gbap to move beyond hunger.
Tools for the job
At the same time, MCSL also looked at the small town’s farming output and set up a food production group. It provided seeds and some basic tools – hoes and farming knives – which were distributed by the VDC. It helped the group to cultivate the vast floodplain outside the town. By doing this, they developed a communal rice farm in addition to a cassava plot.
The benefits of being properly fed speak for themselves: but the security of being fed has allowed the community to think beyond mere survival.
The people of Gbap have taken their future into their own hands.
Helped by MCSL, the people of Gbap lobbied for government funding to improve life in their small town. They are well on the way to having two strong and inspiring symbols of change.
An agricultural work centre will house machinery with which the people of Gbap can process their raw produce and command a higher price at market.
Building for the future
Children in Gbap can now look forward to a brighter future.
A new school building is a long overdue replacement for the previous building, which was cramped, termite-ridden and structurally unsafe. It opened this school year, and is complete with latrines and a new kitchen.
MCSL is working with 63 other Sierra Leonean communities near Gbap. In some, the project was met with scepticism, but people are starting to see the benefits this can bring.
Around the world, Christian Aid is giving people the tools to help themselves.
