But I came to CRC School this morning and we had joint devotions with the Primary and Secondary staffs and then gathered the secondary students in the assembly hall and then the primary. When I see all these lovely dark faces and gleaming teeth, laundered uniforms and polished shoes I have renewed hope. These children really do want to learn. They are eager for it. They are quiet and attentive when the teaching is kind, gentle and skilled. With support and encouragement from outside gradually improved teaching skills will come, decent wages for work done could become a reality, clean and pleasant facilities are possible. When I consider these things, my spirits are lifted and I feel like I can carry on.
There is so much here in Sierra Leone that could lead you to despair about the prospects for this small country. When you look at the rates of illiteracy and the things that follow on the heels of that, you might despair. When you see the dependencies on outside funding sources at all levels of life, health, peace, transportation, food, etc. you will despair. When you are tired at the end of a day of being asked for another 1000 Leones (20 cents), you might give in to despair. When you observe the graft and corruption at every level of society, you weep. When you encounter village folk who eat only one meal a day and personal health is always precarious, you would give up. When you see the poor living conditions of many, living in some of the squalid neighborhoods of Freetown, you would just go home and try to forget about what you have seen here. I must confess that when I am tired and wrung out I could easily go to that place.
But I came to CRC School this morning and we had joint devotions with the Primary and Secondary staffs and then gathered the secondary students in the assembly hall and then the primary. When I see all these lovely dark faces and gleaming teeth, laundered uniforms and polished shoes I have renewed hope. These children really do want to learn. They are eager for it. They are quiet and attentive when the teaching is kind, gentle and skilled. With support and encouragement from outside gradually improved teaching skills will come, decent wages for work done could become a reality, clean and pleasant facilities are possible. When I consider these things, my spirits are lifted and I feel like I can carry on.
2 Comments
Elizabeth
2/12/2016 10:56:31 pm
Dear Mr. DeGroot,
Reply
Henry
2/16/2016 09:01:27 pm
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Denis! God bless your work in Serra Leone!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
August 2022
Dennis deGrootCategories |