Hello world!!!
Hope all is well with you and yours. I have been very busy and blessed. On November 2nd, I attended
Save Sierra Leone Foundation's
Cholera Prevention and Treatment Seminar & Benefit Concert. 100% of the proceeds raised on that night will go directly to 300+ bereaved family members of recent cholera victims and to cholera patients at local hospitals. One of the goals of Save Sierra Leone Foundation with respect to this initiative is "to put a smile on the faces of the bereaved families and patients in hospitals still recovering from the cholera illness." The cash donations, consolation cards and gifts will be given to these victims. The many objectives of this event correlated with my personal platform (
SHERO) as Miss Sierra Leone USA, specifically the pillars of Health and Education, so I was very delighted to have been part of the audience that evening.
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| With the African Princesses |
The four sweet and beautiful girls (cousins) I am pictured with above have a dance team called "African Princesses," and later did an amazing dance performance (pictured below) at the event. They were such darlings and blessed me many hugs, and asked me lots of questions about what it means to be Miss SLUSA; during the event their moms told me that they are now inspired to do a pageant so they'll get to do the things I do, which I thought was very awesome and ambitious of them. By God's grace, I hope to inspire many more brilliant and beautiful girls to be pioneers in their communities and make a positive difference with or without a title/crown.
Fact: The cholera outbreak was triggered by heavy rainfall and flooding in Sierra Leone this year, combined with poor hygiene practices, unsafe water sources, and ineffective waste management. Crowded living conditions, poor sanitation and inadequate access to safe water were responsible for the higher rates of the outbreak in the Western Area including Sierra Leone's capital city and my hometown, Freetown.
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Left to Right:
Singer Johnny "Wisdom" Koroma
Gospel singers Mrs. Giileh Kebbie-Scholz and Binty Nicol |
Fact: Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water from cells in the intestines, which produces severe diarrhea. Risk factors include exposure to contaminated or untreated drinking water and/or living in or traveling to areas where there is cholera. Complications of cholera include severe dehydration and death.
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| Raylene Sage |
Ms. Raylene Sage is Registered Nurse who works here in the United States. Ms. Sage was one of the presenters of the evening, and she appealed to the audience about the importance of healthcare among native Sierra Leoneans, especially children. While living in Sierra Leone last year, Raylene was a Volunteer Nurse at West End Clinic in Freetown; she worked in the outpatient clinic, worked with inpatients, patients in West End Clinic's antenatal program, did HIV counseling and testing to pregnant women, and offered Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) services. Besides offering her medical services to the people of Sierra Leone, Raylene is also a guardian to multiple children in Freetown. She pays tuition, fees, buys clothes, takes care of medical bills, etc. for these many children. She is a beautiful and sweet woman of God that is so passionate about what she does, and we could all hear and see that during her speech; she was in tears during her presentation, and she touched the hearts of many of us that were sitting in the audience.
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| Dr. Marion Koso-Thomas (Pediatrician) speaking on cholera crisis prevention, control, and treatment |
Fact: On August 17, 2012, His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma announced that the outbreak was a national public health crisis. At this time the cholera outbreak had a mortality rate of 1.8% in the country, nearly double the threshold for a state of emergency. By the end of August 2012, approximately 13,300 people were infected by cholera (
Wikipedia)
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Left to Right:
Ms. Patricia O. Thorpe-Finney, President/CEO of Save Sierra Leone Foundation
Ms. Natasha Beckley, Miss World Sierra Leone 2011
Ms. Cassandra Wright, friend of SSLF
Mrs. Giileh Kebbie-Scholz, gospel singer and SSLF Board Member |
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Ms. Binty Nicol
Gospel singer |
Ms. Binty is a Sierra Leonean gospel artist, and was one of the performers of the night. I was really touched by her song and she has a very beautiful voice. She is in a group with her brother (Ali), and they are known as The Gospel Showers. I am very happy to have gotten a copy of their recent album called
Walk in the Light, and all the songs are amazing. I highly recommend you get a copy, and you will truly be blessed after listening to it!!!
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Mr. Koby Maxwell
R&B artist, Actor, and Producer |
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Mr. David Vandy
International Broadcaster, Actor, Director, and Playwright
MC of the night |
At the end of this empowering event, I was invited and treated by members and friends of Save Sierra Leone Foundation. Besides the very delicious food we ate at Red Lobster, what I loved most was the game we played during our meal. There really isn't a name for this game, but I'll like to think of it as The Positivity Game. Initiated by Mr. Prince Thorpe, each person around the table was to select one individual and say something interesting/funny/inspiring about that person. It was just so wonderful to sit in the midst of such intelligent and hardworking women and men that genuinely respect, admire, and love each other. Being that I was the youngest in that company, I felt very blessed to have great role models ahead of my generation who have and are doing great things in all works of life. In the words of our newly re-elected U.S. Commander-in-Chief (Pres. Barack Obama), "The best is yet to come!"
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| Waiting to be seated at Red Lobster |
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| Ms. Cassandra Wright |
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| The night ended with good food and great company!!! |
For those of us living here in the U.S., let us always remind our family members back home in Sierra Leone about the importance of health and sanitation. We cannot take our health for granted, especially the younger and older generations. Donations may come in millions for the ill and bereaved, but we must also remember that prevention is the best remedy. Please visit Save Sierra Leone Foundation's
website, and find out how you can help. You may also leave a comment below and I can refer you to one of the SSLF members for details.
Remember always that wεl bכdi gεntri (health is wealth).
Important Links:
In Pictures: Sierra Leone's Cholera Outbreak
P.S.: Let us keep Sierra Leone in our daily prayers for peaceful activities before/during/after the upcoming General Elections this Saturday (Nov. 17). Let us also pray for God's guidance in the lives of the newly President and Parliamentary officials we will be getting.
Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA
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