Figuring Things Out

As we start to dig into our work and into the culture of Sierra Leone it is becoming obvious that changing things here is harder than expected. So many things here- especially economics- just don't function the same here as in the United States. The normal rules of supply and demand just don't apply. The more I think about the problems here, the more I learn, the more I realize they all have one thing in common- education. AIDS, drug abuse, gender based violence, crime, poverty, all of it is wrapped up in education. So the big question is what can we do? Part of me feels that even education wouldn't be enough- because people here with education often can't find that great of jobs, but at this point (on my very limited knowledge) it is definitely what I see as the best way of fighting these problems. There are so many children here who want to go to school, who value it so greatly, but who can't afford to go. The thing is though- it's really not that expensive. Well it is incredibly expensive here, but for us it is nothing. For one year in high school it is $25, but there is just no way for an average family to afford that here. Again, it is one thing to know people can't afford to go to school, it is another thing to know those people. There is a young man (17 years old, his 18th birthday is this month) who is incredibly smart, want to become a lawyer, but has no way to afford school- 75,000 Leones is just way way way too much for him, even though he is working now. He has 3 years left of school, but doesn't know right now if he can continue this coming year due to lack of money. Let me just say that I have a great early birthday present planned for him. Still- that is one person, but I've met so many people who want to go to school... It feels so good to be able to help one person, but it is easy to get hopeless because so many people need help. I'm not hopeless now- but it's going to be a struggle to keep my hope. The people I know are all so amazing though, so there is much new hope to be found.

Pictures here are a huge pain, so I apologize for the low quality. The first pictures is the hallway in our hostel as the sun was setting, the second is of David and I (sorry for the blurry picture, he would only sit still for one, which happened to be our of focus) and the last is a typical building in Freetown.