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I know a guy Aware that our trip was nearing its end, there were still a few things to check off our detailed to-do list. With the rainy season just beginning to gain traction, the kids would soon be spending much of their time indoors, so we had planned to buy them a television so … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 7

Time to party! After the inauguration we had taken Augustine and his younger sister Saffie back with us to treat them to a night in our hotel, so the following morning we all had breakfast together, and the breakfast buffet proved a hit with the siblings. Today was to be a fun day for all … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 6

Inauguration Day: 2pm (BMT) Sunday marked a milestone day in the still very young history of MercyHome Freetown: it was our official inauguration in Sierra Leone. Our driver, Ibrahim, was anxious for other reasons: our ceremony also coincided with World Cup final day, with France taking on Croatia (who had previously knocked out England…). Unfortunately I was still … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 5

Going to the mattresses After an early morning dip in the pool—incredibly, our very first!—followed by breakfast, we met up with Ibrahim around 9.30am. We headed to MercyHome and picked up Pastor Obi, and then went straight out again to the local clinic to inquire about vaccinations for the children. Their vaccination histories are sketchy … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 4

Aspiring journalist Augustine Conteh, aka “Big Chief”, reports from Freetown, Sierra Leone A day in the life of the MercyHome kids Some of you have been asking what life is like for us kids on a day-to-day basis. Well, let me tell you a little bit about life at MercyHome Freetown. Early in the morning, … Continue reading In Augustine’s words

A fishy start We made a relaxed start to the day, but little did we know what today had in store for us. Ibrahim picked us up from “The Place” just before 10am and we asked him to stop off in the fishing village of Tombo on the way to MercyHome. It had captured our … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 3

James and Valerie take on the Wachau Marathon and Nordic Walking Half-marathon The concept of running for charity is well-known in the UK and the first thing people will usually ask when they hear you’re running a marathon is, “Who are you running for?” In Austria, though, when you ask someone if they’d like to … Continue reading Running for MercyHome Freetown

“Oputu! Oputu!” On the morning of our second day Ibrahim picked us up from the hotel in the 4x4 and about 45 minutes later we arrived at the gates of MercyHome. The main road to Waterloo is of a pretty good standard, compared with the minor roads that are little more than rutted dirt tracks scarred by … Continue reading Back in Freetown: part 2

Aspiring journalist Augustine Conteh, aka “Big Chief”, reports from Freetown, Sierra Leone MercyHome Freetown celebrates its inauguration On the day of July 15, 2018, MercyHome Freetown was declared officially open. The inauguration ceremony was held at Jackson Hall, Cambell Town, just down the road from the home. Because it is the rainy season, we had to … Continue reading In Augustine’s words

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