A SPICY SUCCESS OF CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN SIERRA LEONE

In some parts of the world especially Canadian, most people think of chili peppers as something they might have one or two with a spicy dish. In Sierra Leone, however, a meal is not complete without a whole handful chopped up into the sauce. In a tropical country where you wouldn’t think people needed to sweat any more, people like their food hot! Needless to say, there is a high demand for this fiery spice in the country.

Gbongbonto is a scenic village that is set up high in the hills in Diang Chiefdom, Koinadugu District, in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. In this settlement, people are engaged in subsistence farming but also do some small gold mining. Owing to their geographical location however, they have no “swamps” that they can farm in the dry season and therefore only plant rice during the rains.

Meanwhile, when The Family Farm project, in partnership with the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone, decided to help this community grow a crop during the dry season, everyone agreed that pepper would be a good one to plant. It would grow well in the soil and would have a good price when it was ready, early in the rainy season when it is scarce.

With one motorized pump, a few days of land preparation (and perspiration), and the transplanting of over 2200 pepper seedlings, the farmers are looking forward to a bumper harvest in two months that will help pay their kids’ school fees, provide nutrition for the family and support their other farming activities. Proceeds will also support their CRC Church and activities they want to undertake. As a result of their faith and hard work, the people of Gbongbonto and those in the other communities where The Family Farm Project is operating, can always look forward to miracles and a nice spicy sauce!

For more information on the Christian Reformed Church Family Farm Project in Sierra Leone, please contact Travis Wilkins at traviswilkins@gmail.com

Below are pictures of a cross section of Benificiaries of the Family Farm Project in Sierra Leone.

Compiled and Published by:

MAIBOCK MARAH

The IT and Communication Officer for SIT & CES

A PRIMARY SCHOOL INTER HOUSE ATHLETIC MEETING IN SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA WITH A DIFFERENCE.

Above are some of the many memorable pictures of the Athletic Sports Meeting that took place between the 25th and 27th March 2010

The third annual inter-house athletics sport meeting of Christian Reformed Church Primary School in Kabala, Koinadugu district, Northern Province, Sierra Leone took place from March 25th through the 27th March 2010. In early February this year, the pupils and staff of were divided into four competitive houses. Each of these houses was called after the name of a patron and given a colour to identify it as shown in the table below:

No Name of house patron House Master House Colour

1 Rev. John Phiri Dominic Samura Green

2 Joseph K. Sesay Karifa S. Jalloh Orange

3 Beny Sam Finah S. Kamara Blue

4 Robert T. Jawara Bockarie Marah Red

The sport meeting started with a wonderful march-past (parade) which began from Kabala Secondary School Junction through the major streets in Kabala to the Christian Reformed Church Primary School campus at Bilimaia. The patrons of the respective houses, teachers of the school, and pupils of the school, their parents, and many prominent members of the Kabala community joined the procession. Each parent, pupil and patron was dressed in the colours of their respective houses.

The most interesting thing was that the parents volunteered to bring along three musical sets which were mounted on three vehicles that were positioned at the front, middle and the end of the procession. Operators of each of the musical sets were told to play gospel songs only. Amidst loud gospel music, clapping, dancing and waiving of hands in the air for Master Jesus; the parents, patrons, pupils and a cross section of the Kabala community marched through the town to the Christian Reformed Church Primary school compound.


At the end of the march-past, that is on the arrival of everybody that took part in the march-past to the Christian Reformed Church Primary compound, the Head Teacher of the school Mr. James Tamba Koroma thanked the patrons, parents, teachers, pupils and all those who took part in the procession. He expressed his happiness and encouraged the parents and well wishers to please continue with their kind and supportive gesture towards the school.

In conclusion, He thanked the parents that provided vehicles to carry the musical sets across the town, those who provided the musical sets and those who did whatever they can in their power to make sure that the march-past was a success. He also allowed the patrons to give a speech of encouragement to the house masters; parents athletes and pupils of the school to make sure each of them work hard towards the success of the inter-house sports meet.


On the 26th March 2010 which was the first day, all the people that were invited to officiate the sport meeting dressed in their white Christian Reformed Church T-Shirt marched from the administrative building of the school to the field clapping their hands and singing a popular Christian song “Let Us Give Thanks to God”. The events that took place on this first day were 80 metres Intermediate boys and girls, Bible search, spell bee, alphabet scramble and musical chair, just to name but a few.

The official opening ceremony of the sport meet was done on the March 27, 2010. It began with prayers which were followed by the hosting of the National Flags of Sierra Leone and Canada respectively. The Head Teacher gave the welcome speech not forgetting to introduce all the dignitaries that came to grace the occasion.

The opening speech of the sports meet was given by Pastor Cecil Huggins who is the Chairman of the Community Teacher’s Association of Christian Reformed Church Primary school in Kabala, Sierra Leone. After his speech, he rose together with the audience to cut the tape thus declaring the sports meet formally open. This was followed by the lighting of the torch and parasuite display.

At the beginning of the competition, the entire four houses were on fire, each of them hoping to be the winner. Below is the final result of the sports meet:


NO Name of house patron House Master House Colour Final MarkScored

1 Joseph K. Sesay Karifa S. Jalloh Orange 446

2 Rev. John Phiri Dominic Samura Green 437

3 Beny Sam Finah S. Kamara Blue 432

4 Robert T. Jawara Bockarie Marah Red 400


The head teacher of the school Mr. James Tamba Koroma gave the final vote of thanks. In conclusion, he thanked Master Jesus, the patrons, the parents and all those who in diverse ways contributed to make the sports meet a success. Above all he thanked the donors who are always more than ready to support the school.