During the devastating massacre that took place in Sierra Leone from 1997-2000, hundreds of thousands of people suffered amputation by machete or chainsaw.
There is not one person in this little, beautiful country who does not know one of these victims.
It is incomprehensible to me what one human being can think of to torture another. In this case, the conflict was precipitated by a struggle over control of Sierra Leone’s diamond mines. The suffering was unbelievable.
World Hope International called on me to help the Sierra Leone nationals heal from the horrendous trauma and to teach them how to teach others. People who attended my workshops had variously been forced to watch their children be killed in front of them, witness a mother or sister being gang raped, hide in the bush for days with no food or water, and trip over dead family members as they ran for their lives.
I had the privilege of interviewing some child soldiers, as well. The trauma was significant, yet the Sierra Leone people are forgiving and resilient. I even had the experience of facilitating a healing confrontation between some of the amputees and the soldier that amputated them. Unbelievably powerful experiences.
As always, when I make these sort of trips, I am far more moved by the people I meet than I think they will ever be by my teaching. Yet, the trainings were a huge success and many were helped and now are helping others.
World Hope International (WHI) has had much success with microenterprise development, drilling of wells and building latrines. Even as we speak, WHI is working with the government to implement a “Free Economic Zone” to promote Sierra Leonean business and agriculture.
