Michael King, Team Leader, World Church Office
Report of visit to Methodist Church Sierra Leone
May 2003
1. Purposes of the visit
i. To represent MCB at the first biennial MCSL Conference, held in Freetown (May
10-15)
ii. To assess MCSL needs at a critical time in the reconstruction of the country (visit
up-country May 7,8,9)
2. Delegates to the MCSL Conference
 The official MCB delegate was Michael King.
 Dr. Isabel King (mission partner in Segbwema, Sierra Leone, 1975-79) was also
invited by MCSL to participate in Conference.
 Irish Church delegates were the ex-President of MCSL, the Revd Leslie Wallace,
the Revd Ken Todd (Treasurer MMS Ireland and former missionary in SL), and
William Carson (Container Ministry of MMS Ireland)
3. Background (National)
 The civil wars are at an end in SL. Peace has been restored throughout the
country. Displaced people, and most refugees, are returning to their towns and
villages – last of all in Kono (Eastern Region), badly affected because most of the
diamonds are mined there.
 Thousands of refugees remain in Guinea and other Sierra Leoneans who moved
further afield are not keen to return until they are assured of peace.
 A large UN presence (United Nations Mission to Sierra Leone, or UNAMSIL) has
two major effects:
i. It is a guarantee of peace
ii. It has generated economic activity in the country
NB: There is some concern about what will happen when UNAMSIL leave.
 The relative peace has resulted in:
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (cf. South Africa)
- The Special Court (UN-inspired, to bring the perpetrators of violence to court
and to justice), which conflicts with the TRC approach
- Genuine attempts by UN and numerous NGOs to help re-integration of all
people into society
- An NGO industry, mainly in Freetown
 Corruption is still perceived by many, both Sierra Leoneans and non-Sierra
Leoneans, to lie at the heart of SL’s problems and its attempts to re-establish
itself internationally.
4. Women’s Work
 Two key people, Hannah Mallah (Women’s Desk Secretary) and Lilian Lahai
(Network President) were prominent during our visit, and very caring of us
personally.
 The MCSL women were in the process of building a Skills Development Centre
on the King Harman Road site:
- supported by Network funds from UK
- providing skills for women ex-combatants
- the first permanent base for this important work which has spawned 6
regional centres
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The ‘graduates’ of the Skills Training Programme were presented with certificates
at the Network evening of Conference by Isabel King.
Women were in the forefront of peace-building and awareness-raising initiatives.
There is clearly some concern that women are under-represented at Synod and
Conference level, but it is good to report that a women Vice-President, Mrs R
Anderson, was voted in for the 2005 Conference.
5a. Up-country visit
 The towns of Bo, Tikonko, Kenema, Segbwema and Bunumbu were visited,
specifically :
- The Bunumbu Press, Bo and Wallace Memorial School
- Tikonko Agricultural Extension Centre, Tikonko and TAEC Bo workshop
- Methodist Schools, Youth Centre, manse and St. Augustine’s Church in Bo
- Methodist Clinic (Nixon extension), Kenema
- Kenema Methodist Primary and Secondary Schools
- Bunumbu, Union College and Church
- Njaluahun Methodist Secondary School and Lay Training Centre
- Segbwema, Methodist Primary School and Wesley Secondary School
- Nixon Memorial Hospital
- Paramount Chief Jimmy at Segbwema
 Roads were, on the whole, good – efforts being made to grade the laterite roads
although traffic was light.
 Villages and towns returning to normality, individual houses being re-built,
farmland being brushed, school in the towns noticeably over-crowded (awaiting
the rebuilding of village schools).
 Markets were beginning to sell local produce, though not local rice, and a lot of
cassava was being planted ahead of the rains, to get some form of food/cash.
 The United nations Mission to Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) presence was
everywhere, especially the number of vehicles.
NB: The Revd Ken Todd and William Carson also visited the Kono area, and their
report on the provincial situation should be consulted.
5b. Segbwema
 For many British and Irish Methodists, Segbwema holds a special affection
because of the work of the schools and Nixon Memorial Hospital.
 This part of the report concentrates on:
i) Nixon Memorial Hospital
 The walls of most buildings – accommodation and hospital wards – remain.
 Roofs, fixtures, fittings and equipment have all been removed or destroyed.
 The Nursing School is mainly intact.
 Various groups and organisations are committed to it re-opening, crucially the
Government sees it as an essential part of its health programme in the East
- The President has promised money
- The EU has invited a bid for reconstruction money (not on stream until
01/01/04)
- Bread for the World will support primary health work in the region
 The problem remains that all substantial ‘promises’ have not been realised,
and things need to happen quickly.
 Dr Tamba Missah is running an out-patients’ clinic from the roofed open-air
shelter near the hospital entrance, and has even performed minor surgery
there!
 MCSL has renovated one doctor’s house on the compound, and one house
for nursing staff.
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Staff are anxious to return to Segbwema from Kenema (and even Freetown)
although a Conference resolution was passed that the ‘Nixon’ clinic at
Kenema should remain.
Staff will only return if suitable accommodation can be found, but there is no
need for staff until the hospital is functioning to a greater extent.
Dr Missah’s own stated priorities are an operating theatre, laboratory and
wards for
both women and men. NB a generator will also be required.
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How does MCSL establish priorities?
ii) Schools
 The Methodist Primary School is functioning, but sharing its buildings with
Njaluahun Methodist Secondary School (NB: mixed since re-location due to
the war).
 Wesley Secondary School is still standing, but only functioning in ground floor
classrooms, because all the roofs have been removed.
 The big question is over the future of Njaluahun Secondary School
- move to the Wesley site? (a sensible use of land)
- re-build on the previous Daru Rd site (choice of the chiefdom, both local and
Njaluahun Chiefdom; and would attract other funding from International
Committee of the Red Cross with its interest in Girls’ education)
- build on a new site nearer Segbwema, as the designated Junior Secondary
School (boys and girls) serving classes 1-3
(This would be in line with Government and World Bank plans – and thus
attract funding. It would also be easier to attract teachers to a townsite)
The disadvantage is for there not to be a girls’ school in the area, but a
boarding school, and attendant fees, is not a feasible proposition at present.
Also, it would be very difficult to attract staff to a rural site.
 The strategic plan for Segbwema schools might well be to have one board of
management for the secondary schools
- Wesley S.S. as the Senior Secondary School
- Njaluahun M.S.S. as the Junior Secondary School
 There should be funding for renovating Wesley and building Njaluahun from
Government and other NGO sources.
Church funding might be used for special equipment, notably technical and
vocational supplies, and housing for teachers.
6. Advice re funding
 A report of this short length does scant justice to the huge amount of effort
being made in-country to reconstruct Sierra Leone
 Funding from outside sources greatly encourages MCSL, but is not itself the
solution
 Money from Church sources should not be used in places where other
funding could be accessed e.g. from Government.; Church funding should be
used where it can make most difference
 Strategically, it is vital to enable ministers to take up stations up-country, to
start managing primary schools again, to re-establish development projects,
to be spiritual leaders.
- manses need to be built quickly (and there will be no Govt or NGO
funding for this)
 Strategically, many people will not move from towns to villages until schools
starts functioning. Many schools were not completely destroyed and a new
roof would see many classrooms back in service.
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- for relatively modest amounts of money, a tin roof could repair many primary
schools whilst awaiting further funding from Govt to refurbish school
completely, but Govt has the prime responsibility to re-establish education.
Strategically, the Nixon Memorial Hospital is important to the life of the entire
Kailahun/Kona area. Long-term development will require huge amounts of
money, probably from Govt and Govt-related funding; but in the meantime it is
an important mission priority to get things moving
- ‘seed’ money to renovate wards of some description
- a theatre and equipment to enable basic operations to take place
- renovation of more staff quarters
- a new generator
All 3 strategic points above (all discussed at Conference Office and at
Conference itself) would generate hope for up-country people, Mende and
Kono.
7. Recommendations
i. WCO to encourage people interested in giving to MCSL, to think about the 3
strategic funding proposals (NB: section 10 on ‘advice re-funding’ above).
ii. NMA funding could well be used in key areas:
- Building, to help the existing Connexional contractor
- Property issues (legal, leases, previous agreements)
- Accountancy, to work alongside Winston Pratt (the new accountant)
iii. Re the need for mission partners, for the next 12 months WCO to encourage
short-term expertise (as in point ii above) and based in Freetown. The
country’s infrastructure, and security, needs to be more established before
having conversations with MCSL re longer-term up-country mission partner
placements.
iv. Large general grants will be needed for the next few years, but there is
natural wealth in SL, and long-term dependency is properly not in the thinking
of many in MCSL.
v. WCO to continue to support MCSL in pursuit of its agreed mission aims.
8. Footnote
 Sierra Leone needs help and is receiving a lot of aid. The implicit message is
that SL cannot cope on its own with its problems. The message is reinforced
everywhere – NGO’s slogans on huge billboards, the very visible UN
Presence, the Government’s daily reporting of loans or grants.
 Sierra Leone is potentially wealthy – diamonds, kimberlite, rutile, iron ore, as
well as agricultural produce – but investment is needed.
 Sierra Leone also has rich human resources and the quality of some
Conference debates illustrated this – the ‘Athens of West Africa’ is alive
again.
 MSCL needs to be encouraged, invested in and listened to – it is a ‘special
case’, but hopefully only in the short-term.