Dear Friend

For the past few years I have accompanied my brother on his annual visit to Sierra Leone. This January I returned for my fourth visit.

The foundation he founded some 28 years ago was started to help one child in need and he soon found a way in helping others.

When talking about my experience in Sierra Leone I have heard from many friends, colleagues and acquaintances the wish to support our work. With this in mind I have started a charitable foundation in Canada named the “African Pikin Foundation” Pikin is the Krio word for child. Krio is one of the many languages spoken in West Africa.

My visits have opened my eyes to the desperate need for assistance in this, the second poorest country in the world. The movie “Blood Diamonds” was a Hollywood depiction of the brutal ten-year war, which has devastated both the economy and the people in this country.

Sierra Leone is located on the West Coast of Africa. The republic of Guinea is to the North and Liberia is on the East.

Sierra Leone is a country trying to get to grips with nationhood and is recovering from the civil war, which killed many people and displaced about half the population. Life is returning to normal, and peaceful elections were held in September 2007. Since the last election, there has been much improvement and a strong commitment to reform.

However, many areas remain devastated  - schools, hospitals, health centers, clean water, sanitation, roads, education and agriculture were badly affected by the conflict – and 70.000 former combatants have added to the number of young people seeking employment.

Sierra Leone is a country that is gifted with natural resources such as fertile agricultural land, a sea rich of fishes and other marine products abundant sunlight and rainfall. Sadly enough, despite all these natural resources, the majority of the people of Sierra Leone live in abject poverty due to a tremendous inequality in income distribution. About two-third of the working age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consist mainly of the process of raw materials and the light manufacturing for domestic market.

Even with the non-appropriate education, only a small percentage of Sierra Leoneans can afford to send their children to school due to the high cost involved in school fees, uniforms, books and extra charges which are usually very high.

In some of the schools I have visited that are as many as 25 children using one textbook.

We want to create the spark for learning. Children who grow up without education have less opportunity to build a better future.

If children are educated, it will better develop in a sustainable way. Most villages we have visited have no running water, no electricity and toilet facilities. It is our goal that each school or village has at least one water well.

With your support we can start projects that build or repair schools, train teachers, teach children, provide school supplies and construct water wells and give the children access to clean and safe water.

Only 40% of the primary schools and 55% of the secondary school teachers are trained. Trained teachers are an important support of children. We would like to provide the training needs through the teachers college.

The expansion of the Internet has allowed us to simplify and broaden our communication with Sierra Leone. Now we can communicate with our foundation coordinators by means of the Freetown e-mail address.

We cannot do it alone – we need your help

We hope that you will be there for us now when we need you most at the start of this new foundation.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, your kindness, generosity and concern are much appreciated.

Jan Besseling

President

The African Pikin Foundation

1080 Pacific Street, Suite 409 Vancouver BC.V6E 4C2

Registered address:

Box 62 Suite 1555-1500 West Georgia Street

Vancouver BC V6G 2Z6

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