Speeches

keynote Speech for the Launching of the Sierra Leone Relief and Development Outreach, Inc 

By Amb. Thomas N. Hull

April 4, 2006

 

Mr. Chairman, Mme. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
The Sierra Leone Relief and Development Outreach, Inc., has a very unassuming name, but a very ambitious agenda.  This organization is significant not only for what it intends to do, but also for what it represents.
 
Here in Sierra Leone much attention is given to multilateral and bilateral aid through major donors such as the European Commission, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Japan and the United States; through international organizations and financial institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank; and through international non-governmental institutions such as CARE International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Catholic Relief Services.  On the other hand, too little recognition is given to the efforts of individuals and smaller organizations that simply want to help Sierra Leoneans improve their lives.
 
In some cases, people in the Sierra Leone diaspora feel a responsibility to share what they have achieved with their homeland.  In other cases, foreigners who have experienced the warmth and generosity of Sierra Leone want to reciprocate by assisting the people of the country.  In other cases, individuals are simply trying to be good Samaritans and world citizens by helping a country whose plight following a devastating war has been graphically portrayed on television across the world.  These people do not come with a political agenda; they do not come to make a profit; they only come with good intentions.
 
Because these private efforts are not part of larger development projects or of a grand Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan, they often go unrecognized.  Sometimes they benefit just one community, and other times they benefit multiple districts.  Rarely do they seek publicity, because these individuals and organizations find their rewards in the satisfaction that they derive from humanitarian efforts.  Yet, these efforts happen more frequently and have a greater collective impact than most Sierra Leoneans and traditional donors realize.  Their value is enormous, but they never appear in the statistics on the amount of aid given to Sierra Leone.
 
To illustrate my point, let me mention some of the initiatives from my country, the United States of America, which have come to my attention in just the past two weeks.  A former Peace Corps Volunteer, who worked in Mambolo in Kambia District, brought a container of donated school equipment, supplies, and books less than two weeks ago to help rehabilitate schools there.  Approximately 40 American doctors and nurses spent last week donating their time, skills, medicines, and equipment to treat 2,500 Sierra Leoneans in Lunsar, Bonthe, and Kenema.  They came to Sierra Leone at their own expense.
 
Another former Peace Corps Volunteer living in Minneapolis e-mailed me yesterday to say that he has raised $100,000 in donations from concerned Americans to help 5,000 Sierra Leoneans living in three villages in Kailahun District to rebuild their lives by providing zinc sheets to replace the tarp roofs on their war-damaged homes.  He is leaving his job and family next month to come to Sierra Leone to work with those communities to put new roofs on 500 houses.
 
A Californian with no connection to Sierra Leone other than the haunting images of war-driven brutality and destruction informed me last Friday that he has installed a water purifier in Pujehun District, and has established the Sierra Leone Children’s Charity Fund for contributions of medicine, clothing, and other badly needed supplies in the Pujehun-Sulima area.  Just this weekend the Friends of Sierra Leone, an organization mainly of former Peace Corps Volunteers and Sierra Leonean-Americans, notified me that they are sponsoring a new teacher-training program to improve the quality of primary schools.
 
Although these initiatives are diverse, they have some common elements.  They are totally self-sufficient and based on faith in the private sector.  Not one of them receives any money from the U.S. Government.  They rely on the compassion and generosity of the American people for contributions.  Not one of them has an ulterior motive.  They simply reflect people helping people in the spirit of volunteerism that characterizes America.  In some cases, the initiative involves people who know Sierra Leoneans, and in other cases, they are helping people completely unknown to them.
 
In every case, people are donating their personal time and hard-earned money that they could more easily spend on themselves or their families.  These are not rich philanthropists giving money from wealthy foundations, but ordinary citizens who respect the dignity of hard work and who want to make the world a better place for all of us.  They reject the status quo, and see hope in the bleakest situations.  In every case, the project represents the initiative, or entrepreneurial spirit if you will, of individuals who believe that they can make a qualitative difference in people’s lives.
 
These characteristics are reflected in the Sierra Leone Relief and Development Outreach, Inc. that we honor at today’s launch.  The SLDRO is an initiative of concerned Sierra Leoneans living in the United States, and is based in Alexandria, Virginia, across the river from Washington.  I hope that all Sierra Leoneans will join me in recognizing the exceptional efforts of Mrs. Bernadette Kamara-Bangura, President of the SLDRO, and her colleagues.  Having personally visited the SLDRO community clinic in Williams Street, I can tell you that they are already improving the lives of people who otherwise would not have access to quality medical care.
 
As I said at the outset, the SLDRO has an ambitious agenda.  This organization will not only work in the health sector, but also address the problems of unemployed and disengaged youth, of gender equality, of education, of safe water, of housing, and of food security.  SLDRO members know the devastation that civil war brought to this country, and they are committed to assisting with that recovery.  The assistance that they provide will only make a difference, however, if used wisely and well.  While SLDRO seeks workable solutions to Sierra Leone’s developmental challenges, they will only work if Sierra Leoneans make them work.  Foreign assistance can provide opportunities, but ultimately those who live in Sierra Leone must take advantage of those opportunities to escape from the vicious cycle of extreme poverty that is the country’s greatest developmental challenge.
 
I urge all Sierra Leoneans to recognize and appreciate the considerable contributions that private individuals and organizations are making to their country.  I know that many people feel that Sierra Leoneans who live and work abroad are advantaged, and therefore have an obligation to send remittances or provide other forms of aid.  While this may be a legitimate cultural perspective, the stark reality is that Sierra Leoneans living abroad have substantial obligations to their immediate families in countries where the costs of living are considerably higher than here.  The assistance that they provide to their native land comes in many cases at great personal financial sacrifice that is not well understood in Sierra Leone.
 
I would also urge the Government of Sierra Leone to value more the benefits that come from private contributions.  I realize that the Government needs to raise more tax revenue, but zealous efforts to impose duties on gifts such as clothing, books, school supplies, and medical equipment appear mean-spirited to those who make donations.  I know of containers that have been sitting in the port for months because recipients cannot pay the duties and fees on the donated materials that they have been sent.  If the Government insists on taxing donations, private donors are likely to send their gifts to other places where they are equally needed but better appreciated.
 
On the whole, the experiences of private donors have been very positive in Sierra Leone.  Considerable progress has been made in rebuilding the country from the ashes of war, but much more remains to be done to overcome the entrenched poverty that afflicts the country.  There is ample space for all types of donors and for the private sector to contribute to this considerable task.  Indeed, the private sector example in both assistance and in business is important for the people of Sierra Leone to see because neither the Government of Sierra Leone nor official donors have the resources necessary to achieve success alone.  The private sector usually delivers aid more efficiently and thereby generates more development albeit on a smaller scale in most instances.  In the end, it will be the cumulative effort of all contributors that will determine Sierra Leone’s future. 
 
Sierra Leone Relief and Development Outreach Inc has a vital role to play.  You know this country and its culture.  You understand the dimensions of the challenges that confront Sierra Leone, and have the commitment and perseverance to address them.  You have made an auspicious start through your health clinic, and you are clearly undaunted by the tasks ahead.  I applaud your sacrifices and hard work on behalf of Sierra Leone.  You have the goodwill of the people of the United States of America behind you.  I am confident that the people of Sierra Leone likewise will support you by working with you and that they wish you success in making life in Sierra Leone better for everyone.
 
With these noble objectives in mind, it is my pleasure to join with you in officially launching the Sierra Leone Relief and Development Outreach, Inc.