It is a few hours before the start of the 2023 Sierra Leone marathon in Makeni, and I am taking a moment to step back from the intense emotions from this particular trip. I really want to share my experiences with you, in the hope of inspiring even just one more person to help and support the children and communities who desperately need it. As Ghandi so famously said ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’.
I have been visiting Sierra Leone since 2012 when I came with my children, Alec (10) and Rosie (8). And eleven years later, people still ask me ‘wae yu pikin’ (where are your children?).
The people I have met on all my nine trips are incredibly kind, loving, and patient, and have the most beautiful smiles… especially the women.
I am drawn to the people here who have so little in comparison to us. As a financial adviser at Investment Quorum, I understand the challenges we face, but sometimes it feels as though we could all learn from simply having less.
There is so much to enjoy here too. Last week Gloria, who runs a cookery school in Freetown, taught me how to prepare Cassava stew!
The reality
Sierra Leone’s reality is harrowing. I have heard countless stories of war, conflict, 140 years of slavery, sexual violence, violence against women, and the incredible poverty that this country has endured. Yet, many of the people I have come into contact with are at peace and happy. Maybe not all, but many. As I try to make sense of the pain pouring out of my soul and pray for peace, I realise that their philosophy is so much simpler than my own: just let go and be happy.
When Justin Sesay, Street Child’s Deputy Director of Rural Operations asked me how this trip was going, tears streamed down my face as I told him about everything I had learned. He looked me in the eyes and asked a simple question that has stuck with me, “So Nella, what are you going to do now?”.
Girls speak out
My passion always has been to protect and support women and girls who are often the most marginalised – sometimes simply because they have a period each month. But especially because I know that so many women and children, myself included, have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lives. It has shocked me to my core how prevalent this is in both my society and here in Sierra Leone.
Some of you may know that my inspiration for working closer with Street Child started in 2016 when I invited a number of people, mainly women, to come and listen to me. I called it Girls Speak Out, and it was based on a Street Child project led by Megan Lees-McCowan, Head of Programmes for Africa. The aim was to send 20,000 girl to school in a safe environment. It gave girls across Sierra Leone a voice and ensured that the gendered issues they faced couldn’t be ignored.
However, just as I was getting started with the ‘Girls Speak Out’ initiative, my life fell apart. I went through a painful divorce and business separation that drained all my energy for several years. But like the people of Sierra Leone, I learned to forgive myself and others who hurt me… and move on. And this is who I am today. I have come to realise that I have to do more for Street Child. Not necessarily by running marathons, but by supporting this charity and sharing my stories.
What’s next?
When I return from this trip, I would love to invite you to come and listen to the next instalment of my journey in Sierra Leone. Maybe it will inspire you to support Street Child or become involved in a project somewhere in the world.
I don’t pass judgment on anything. I’ve realised that I only want to do my part, as I once heard Megan say, “Street Child is not trying to solve all of these problems. Street Child is trying to give hope to children who have nothing” through education and schools.
I want to express my immense gratitude for the constant support you’ve given me over the years and again today.
Thank you and please donate if you can https://www.justgiving.com/page/petronella-west-sierra-leone-marathon-2023
petronellawest.com 
Leave a comment