MY GIFT OF GIVING EXPERIENCE – BY MICHAEL GOSS

Where could someone even begin to describe their trip to Freetown in Sierra Leone?

The world seems to forget Africa when it suits them, I have been to four different countries in Africa so far and although it is only a small portion of the continent I can honestly say people may forget Africa but Africa won’t and can’t be ignored, it may be poor it terms of wealth but in terms of just being people who are happy, friendly, always willing to stop and say hello and to help others, even strangers, the world can learn a lot from the people of the African nations.

Sierra Leone seems to be living in the calmer waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, while others around it are still troubled by instability. It has only been eight years since the 10 years civil war stopped, if the country continues on the path it seems to be taking then the future looks very bright for the children of today, who are being helped in some small part towards their future by “Tebbs SC” for the past two years and the “Louminati Youth Leadership Foundation”, who joined Tebbs SC this year in contributing to the education of the younger children of “Hi-Lance” & “Fatah Rahman” schools in Freetown.

I was eager to join the trip, if only in a very small way I hoped that by being there and seeing the work Fiona Luke (TEBBS SC Founder) does for the children would help broaden my mind and hopefully others in the future so that the assistance these children need and will probably need for a few years yet will not falter in any way, in fact I hope Tebbs can grow stronger and bigger so it is able to help many more children and bring more smiles to faces of the youngsters who were just happy to see us and have their photo taken, this was before they even knew why we were there.

The first school we went to was “Hi-Lance”, whilst I was standing there taking photos for Tebbs SC and also shooting some camcorder footage, I heard Fiona speaking to the children, and then along with Yvonne, Lou and Sherri they were handing out the bags of stationery to the children of one particular class.

When it was time to say goodbye the children were saying goodbye and some were waving but the one thing that sticks in my mind {However trivial some people MAY think is was} is when I heard one child shout to Fiona “God Bless You”, {that put a lump in my throat} knowing he had received a bag that contained a few stationery items that he could use for his school work I was amazed at just how appreciative a child could be for something that to a lot children in places like London would turn their noses up at, its not their fault though as different people in different parts of the world have different ideals, that in a way is what makes the world the place it is, good or bad, whichever way you choose see it.

The second school Tebbs SC visited was “Fatah Rahman”, I had only just gotten out of our vehicle and within the space of five minutes I had between 30 and forty children literally trying to hang on to me, that is before they even knew why Tebbs SC was there.

I think they saw the cameras and just wanted to have their pictures taken and be in the video. I couldn’t stop laughing, I was being surrounded by all these children and I had not even done anything for them, it was difficult getting to the school building but I had my own little “Bodyguard”, a little girl with a yellow top on, as with the other children, wanted her picture taken.

Once that was done she was hugging me around the waist trying to get me through the crowd of children around me and wouldn’t let me go, she was shouting at the others in her own language. I couldn’t even begin to know what she was saying, a lovely girl though and she made sure I was ok and let me go once I got to the school building.

On the stationery front, it was pretty much the same as “Hi-Lance”, the children were so appreciative of the items they were given by Tebbs SC and the way they all walked in a line to class singing a song made me realise just how happy people could be without what people like me take for granted here in London.

It was partly a holiday trip, that doesn’t need describing, apart from the fact Freetown as an abundance of things to do.

From beaches {Lumley Beach is a beautiful place to relax in the heat of Freetown}, to the markets and If you love the night life, you’ll be amazed at just how lively Freetown becomes, with its Night clubs, Beach-side restaurants and bars.

It is a long way from being spoilt by thousands of tourists, but hopefully one day soon many more people will get to, and want to see just what most of the world seems not to know – just how beautiful a continent Africa is, and more importantly the individual people in each of the countries of Africa, how despite their hardships they seem to be just as happy if not happier than a lot of people I have met in London and around Europe. Ignore Africa?

To know what the true meaning of life, with its ups and downs, twists and turns then Africa can teach the world what life really means and much it should be cherished.