November 27-28 2013:

Happy Thanksgiving from Sierra Leone! As North American’s we have so much to be thankful for. The everyday basics we take for granted, such as power that we have continuous access to all the time, is something others have never experienced or have to travel miles to have access to. This is just one thing we will be giving the village of Golu this Holiday!

If you've been following our Twitter and Facebook posts you already know that TVL is back in Sierra Leone this Holiday to get our first Community Resource Center (CRC) off the ground. In my first post (below) I let you in on all of the technology we’ve brought with us from Silicon Valley to get things started.

Before heading off to Golu, we've been meeting with our Sierra Leonian counterparts, friends and partners in Freetown. “Taking care of business” as they say. However, a big part of the joy for me coming back to this country is reconnecting with long time friends from my Peace Corps. volunteer days. One of those friends is an Irish Catholic priest, Father Brian Starken, who lived in Sierra Leone from 1975-1997. Six of those years were during the civil war. During the 1970’s and 80’s, Brian taught school in Pujehun and then build a secondary school in Gerehun. I also taught school in Pujehun and then later moved to Golu which is only 4 miles from Gerehun. So, Brian and I were acquainted then. During the war, the school Brian built was destroyed. He ran camps for villagers displaced by the war and homes for boy soldiers who were released by the armies after UNESCO came into the country and insisted on their release. Brian was back in Europe for a number of years and now has returned to work on a center in Kenema. Needless to say, it has been great to catch up with a dear friend and someone working with Sierra Leoneans in creating positive social change in their beautiful country.

Another dear friend of mine from my Peace Corps. volunteer days is Mr. Fillie, now Chief Fillie of Golu. He and his family lived with me back in the 70's and is someone I can’t wait to catch up with to see how his family is. I'm so excited to get back to the village and get the CRC lit up and ready for operation. It’s going to be a crazy and fun time for me and TVL!

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter and our website for more updates on our Nov./Dec. 2013 trip to Salone and lighting up Project Golu! If you would like to make a donation to help us complete this project you can here.