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July 2018 Six months after our first trip to Freetown, we were incredibly excited to return to Sierra Leone. This time round, though, things would be very different. Back in December 2017, we visited the kids merely as sponsors. But after the UK charity that was previously responsible for the children’s welfare inexplicably closed its … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 1

Aspiring journalist Augustine Conteh, aka “Big Chief”, reports from Freetown, Sierra Leone Day of the African Child, part 2 MercyHome Freetown celebrates Day of the African Child The Day of the African Child 2018 was commemorated for the first time at MercyHome on June 16. Leading up to the big day, [home manager] Pastor Obi … Continue reading In Augustine’s words

“Leave No Child Behind for Africa’s Development” (Krio: Nor pekin nor fo lef biyen fo SALONE hin beteh wan) In 1991 the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) established the Day of the African Child to commemorate those killed after thousands of black schoolchildren took to the streets of Soweto, South Africa, on … Continue reading Day of the African Child 2018

Aspiring journalist Augustine Conteh, aka “Big Chief”, reports from Freetown, Sierra Leone Day of the African Child The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). It honours those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976. … Continue reading In Augustine’s words

Aspiring journalist Augustine Conteh, aka “Big Chief”, reports from Freetown, Sierra Leone First, let me introduce myself: my name is Augustine Conteh. I am currently in my third form at Senior Secondary School. I am the eldest of the fifteen kids of MercyHome Freetown. My dream is to become a journalist in the future. There … Continue reading In Augustine’s words

Ways to help when you’re short on cash Not all needs are financial, and donating money isn't the only way to help others. The fact is, times are hard and there are many people who would love to donate money to charity but just aren’t in a position to do so. Not acting on every … Continue reading Actions speak louder…

Hope in the face of adversity The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa whose capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former slaves in 1787. It is a country still reeling from the effects of a violent and bloody civil war that raged between 1991 and 2002, and which was partly … Continue reading The Republic of Sierra Leone: Country Profile

Our second day was a Saturday and we were invited along for a morning of worship – 4 hours (!) full of joy, prayer, singing and discussion. It highlighted the spirit of optimism, hope and thankfulness in a community battling against poverty, despair, and a history of civil war and Ebola. We spent the rest … Continue reading Our trip to Freetown – Part 2

We left snowy Vienna, Austria, in the early hours of the last day of November 2017. When we landed at Freetown’s Lungi International Airport the tiredness of an already eventful journey was compounded by the 30 degree heat and extreme humidity. After all the expectations, anticipation, excitement and planning - including the copious vaccinations -, … Continue reading Our trip to Freetown – Part 1

We are Valerie and James, a Frenchwoman and an Englishman, who have been living in Austria since 1998. For the past ten years we have been supporting children in Sierra Leone and Kenya; but until 2017 we had never been to Africa ourselves. In December 2017 we finally visited our godchild in Freetown, Sierra Leone. … Continue reading An opportunity to make a difference