MY SAIO EXPERIENCE – BY FIONA LUKE
At the beginning of this year I had planned not to do a stationery drive for 2013, because I felt I was losing support and even thought I was pushing my donors and supporters too much. The motivation I needed to put the whole thing together just was not there.
Yes it was our fifth year and yes I didn’t want to disappoint the children and yes I so wanted it to happened, but God works in mysterious ways. Last year I was introduced to a music producer guy named Silvastone, although not through the best of circumstances. I told him what Tebbs SC had been doing and he jumped at the opportunity to get involved. He wanted to do a documentary on the project in Sierra Leone for Tebbs SC.
Every day and every month after our meeting he started pushing me to set up the next project. That my friend, was the push I needed!
So the work started. Website designer Basil Lumsden, PR consultant Sophia Jackson, project adviser Denise Simon and I went to work. Within a month we had created a new flyer, brochure, website and newsletter and the 2013 stationery drive was well and truly on its way.
By March 2013 we had collected and shipped all the items for the drive for the SAIO School in Freetown Sierra Leone. The documentary planning was in progress and our new Sponsor a Child initiative was in it’s planning stages.
With the trip now planned and our bags packed, on April 23rd we (Silvastone and I) were on our way to Sierra Leone and this time we took the scenic route via France.
Our first week in Sierra Leone was quite eventful, with two unplanned public holidays announced whist we were there. Due to the Sierra Leone independent weekend celebration we were rendered helpless as all the schools were closed at the last minute, however this gave us the opportunity to proceed with the filming of our documentary.
Week two was more of a fruitful week as we were able to kick-start the sponsorship process and distribute the stationery and reading books to the deserving children at SAYO School. We also donated extra maths books to Lisam & Bavia Preparatory Schools which were donated by St Edmund Catholic Primary School.
The launch of our sponsorship program was very successful. We had a team of three volunteers who interviewed the parents and children being considered for sponsorship and I’m pleased to announce that our first four sponsored children have now been chosen. You can view their details on our website.
For all this I would like to thank you! Without your help and support none of this would be happening. To our Sponsor a Child donors, thank you very much for making it happen. I hope and pray that this is just the beginning of the sponsorship program and that by our next trip to Sierra Leone we will be sponsoring many more kids.
