Empowering people through literacy

Janice Clark is working on the development of a literacy program for people living with HIV / Aids in Sierra Leone. This sustainable and simple project will change lives and communities in a very deprived part of the world.

To carry out this work we need to raise £2,397 by the end of October 2010.

Sierra Leone?:

“The decade long brutal civil war in Sierra Leone was officially declared over in 2002. But in a country which is ranked 176 out of 177 in the Human Development Index, the government is confronted with many different priorities all equally important (energy, infrastructure, health, education, water and sanitation) and all competing for the limited resources available.

In 2005, HIV prevalence in Sierra Leone was at 1.6%, but in the post-conflict reconstruction of Sierra Leone, the response to the AIDS epidemic came far down the list of priorities.” (UNAIDS 20070612_post_conflict_sierraleone)

 Some very conservative statistics from UNAIDS 2008:

• Number of people living with HIV: about 55,000
• Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV: about 51,000
• Women aged 15 and up living with HIV: about 30,000
• Children aged 0 to 14 living with HIV: about 4,000
• Orphans due to AIDS 0 / 17 YO: about 16,000

 Despite the end of the conflict women’s rape and human trafficking for sex trade  including children still thrive and remain unchallenged (source: UNHCR. Refworld).

An example of a response to the situation: In 2007 the Methodist Church in Sierra Leone set up a monthly meeting – open to all (Christians or no-Christians) – to provide advice, support and a social network of relationships for those living with HIV. The emphasis is on Living Positively; that having the virus should no longer have the stigma it once had and that HIV is a health issue, not a moral issue. However acceptance of these positive messages is proving immensely difficult as the community and society as a whole continue to hold on to negative opinions of the virus. Some 120 people attend the meetings in the local community centre. Most of them are women (80%), the majority (90%) of them cannot read and write and 90% of them have no employment.

 This self –help group needs your help.

Janice has been able to secure the training of 16 local facilitators. People drawn from the self help group who can already read and who will learn how to teach others to read and write.

Janice is looking for financial support for the second phase. This will support the facilitators to teach to 60 illiterate people from the self-help group for a year.

The budget for phase 2 is as follows:

• Books, pens, refreshments, rent of rooms  £637
• Salary costs of facilitators and travel costs  £1,400
• Miscellaneous £160
• Independent audit £200

Total £2,397

Phase 2 of the project is sustainable because once delivered it can continue without further support. The 16 newly trained facilitators will have practice their new skills. After a year 60 women will have learned to read and write thanks to these facilitators. Phase 2 will bring more people able to read and write into the community, thus enabling them to transfer knowledge to their children and feel more confident and be more independent.

 Examples of how literacy changes lives:

• “I sign my name. I am someone. I am not a cross anymore”
• “I can fill in forms and find my name in a list.”
• “I can understand what my children have to do for homework and help them.”
• ” I can read recruitment notices and find a job.”
• “I can identify my medication by their name on the label, and not just the colour of the tablets.”
• ” When I go to church I can follow the reading in my bible and I can read it at home, as well”.

Our involvement:

All the money collected will be given to Janice Clark for the project. Any excess or unexpected unused funds will be used to enhance the project or to support similar projects.

Joe L. and Laurent V. will report from their  November 2010 trip to Freetown and their meeting with the self-help group.  Janice will supply the Church with a progress report at the end of the project. Progress made will also be available on the Clark’s website.  If you wish to donate please contact Joe L. or Laurent V.  If you can’t donate funds please help the self-help group through prayer.

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