December 2023

This year obviously had a particularly sad turn due to the unexpected death of our local partner, Daniel O’ James on October 23 this year.

For 13 years for the FAD, he mainly shaped the education of many underprivileged people. We are very grateful to him for this and will try to continue his ideas.

We wish his children, family, friends, but certainly also our other two local partners, James Davies and Abdul Karim Kamara, a lot of strength with this loss.

Fortunately, there are also positive things to report about the past year:

Eye care

• SECOM
  • At the eye care organization, with which we have been working for 6 years, we see more and more progress.

Berend provides technical support

• Berend Schaeffner and Henk Veraart spent a week with them in the beginning of the year, providing further training, participating in outreach programs and thus another part of the way to further professionalization.

Henk and Berend at outreach

• In addition, Berend supported SECOM for a whole week on the end of the year, provided further training, experienced and advised during an operation day and organized medication orders.

Training for the SECOM team

• This year, SECOM had 500 cataract operations performed for FAD on people who did not have the finances for it themselves. They work closely with a cataract surgeon (a nurse trained to perform cataract operations) and her team.
• FAD further supports SECOM by pre-financing items such as a car/medication/medical equipment

 

• Kissy – eye hospital in Freetown
  • An eye nurse from this hospital is sponsored by FAD to train as a cataract surgeon in Gambia
  • FAD also provides the supply of some medical materials that are difficult to obtain in Sierra Leone itself
• Lunsar – eye hospital in the center of the country
  • The supply of raw materials for the production of eye drops is still provided by FAD. The aim is for the hospital to be self-reliant in this from next year.
• Masanga – eye department in a hospital in the north of the country
  • Unfortunately, Pieter Slager has left this hospital, he is working in Papua New Guinea at the invitation of an international organization
  • Henk and Maria spent a few weeks in Masanga to carry out outreaches, operations and further training. Maria has also given psychiatry lessons again.

Henk at work

Training eyecare

• The FAD is now sponsoring a nurse from the Masanga eye department to be trained as an eye nurse in Gambia, with the longer-term goal of training to become a cataract surgeon.

 

Education

• GTZ school
  • After Daniel O’James’ death, the FAD has decided to further support the organization of the school for nursing training. Abdul Karim Kamara will coordinate this task in particular.
  • Healthcare training
    • The 15 caregivers sponsored by FAD are now in their third and final year, and they are still doing well.
    • There was another festive touch for 8 caregivers from the FAD who received their diplomas, this was in connection with corona and presidential elections continue to be postponed.

the graduation ceremony

 

• One of them was Antonio, whom we met as an orphan in 2008, who now has vocational training and a job at SECOM. Here’s his response:

“Good morning, Mom and Dad, finally am graduating,

thanks u for ur support u make me i be somebody,

I really appreciate your help and your support”

 

• A nurse who works at SECOM has received a sponsorship from FAD to follow a three-year course for a higher level of nursing, which she will use for eye care at SECOM after her training.

 

Aminata ready to go to school

• And as mentioned earlier, the following have also been started:
  • A nurse from Kissy eye hospital with training as a cataract surgeon in Gambia
  • And a nurse from the Masanga hospital with eye nurse training in Gambia.

Nurses Paulina and Francis on their way to Gambia

 

• Solar training
  • Last year’s intentions to train young people for solar technology/installation have now become reality. In April, 6 young men started a 1-year training course and in September another 11 young men and women started the training course. During the training, in addition to theory, they also gain a lot of practical experience with real clients. After the year they receive a diploma recognized by the government so that they can take on work anywhere.

The first group of solar students with their teachers

 

• Technical training
  • the students (architects/construction draftsmen, plumbers, car mechanics, etc.) are all doing well and will receive their diplomas in the middle of next year.

• The former students of these courses sponsored by the FAD are currently uniting to form a kind of association.
• The aim will be to be able to follow the former students and see the effectiveness of the program. In the long term, they want to build a sustainable organization that can work together to train new students in the future.

• Agricultural training
  • The FAD is investigating whether we can start a project to train people in agriculture. We are in negotiations with a farm under construction, which is setting up all kinds of livestock and agricultural crops on a small scale, with the aim of providing training on a small scale.
• The school for the blind in Freetown
  • This is not only a school but also a kind of boarding school. The FAD has now supported them with food (rice, oil, etc.) for the fifth year. Without this support the school would not be able to open.
  • Of course donated typewriters were also handed over to them. Always a party.

Mr. Turay, principal of the school for the blind

Medical posts

• The FAD supports 2 medical posts (in Sumbuya and Masuri) with medicine supplies. The medical post in Masuri renovated their outdoor kitchen with the profits this year, so that the staff can also eat while working.
• SECOM, our eye organization, has found its new home base in a new hospital in Kwama. But this hospital also has a lack of stock of medicines, so patients have to travel a long way for each medicine. That is why FAD also helped this hospital to build up a stock of medicines that they must replenish themselves with the proceeds after sales.

Micro credits

• The FAD is now gradually switching from group to individual micro credits, which seems to be easier to manage.
• The new micro credits ar for
  • Solar energy for homeowners
  • An entertainment center
  • A print shop

Finally

As usual, the end of the year also includes a big thank you to everyone who supports the FAD in one way or another

• For all the new sportswear we have received. Some of it went to Yele hospital.

‘end of year gift for all hospital staff’

‘and of course for the football teams’

• Another part went to communities in Freetown by a Sierra Leonean women who occasionally arranges our transport.
• The baby clothes and baby materials that go to the medical posts as gifts for the maternity women.

• The medical/nursing materials that we receive from various sources and that the medical posts are very happy with.
• The space made available where we can store all our stock
• All the wonderful financial donations that allow us to carry out everything
• And of course also the volunteer doctors who have been working for the FAD in Sierra Leone for a number of years.

Thank you all very much

And despite the fact that the year ended so sadly with the death of Daniel O’James, we would still like to wish everyone a very healthy and prosperous 2024

James. AKK, Berend, Wim, Bert and Beppie