SIERRA LEONE: Sisters take hope to one of the poorest countries in the world

Sister Gianna has a smile on her face as she speaks about her mission in Kambia, a place with no electricity, or any other basic services. With her Sisters of Merciful Jesus, a congregation that is supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), she does essential work in a country still recovering from the horrors of war.

Gianna is one of the three Sisters of the Merciful Jesus currently living in Kambia, Sierra Leone, where people lack basic services, like bathrooms and electricity, but above all hope for a better future, in a country still grappling with the ghosts of a civil war that tore the nation apart between 1991 and 2002, killing over 50 thousand and forcing more than half a million to flee from their homes. After the war came Ebola, and then the pandemic. In such a tragic setting, it is hard to keep dreams alive.

“Everywhere we go we try to show that God is love. We have not been here for long, but through our way of life we try to show what it means for God to be merciful, to be loving”, says Sister Gianna.

Evangelising through example

The Polish sister arrived in Sierra Leone in 2016, and quickly began making big plans. The education level was very low and children and young people had difficulties writing and reading. The sisters wanted to open a local kindergarten and a pastoral centre for young people.

With ACN’s help, these dreams have now come true. “We were able to renovate this building, for the children to come to learn. We repaired the roof and built a bathroom. Now we can teach them how to use these things and improve their level of life. Children come every day, and they learn, study and play, but they also get a hot meal, which for them is rare. They are happy and they are lucky”, says sister Gianna, expressing her deepest gratitude to all benefactors who helped make this possible.

Usually ACN does not support kindergartens, but Sierra Leone is a very special case, as schools and kindergartens are generally the only vehicle possible for evangelisation. The majority of the population is Muslim, but there is widespread respect for Christian values, since most of the educated inhabitants have been brought up in Catholic schools, and therefore parents have no problem in letting their children come into contact with Christianity, including prayer.