Social Action Trip to Sierra Leone (October 8 – 16 2022)
with Conservative Friends of International Development
You are invited to apply to volunteer with Conservative Friends of International Development (CFID) to work on two development projects in October to support the hard working business people of Sierra Leone, and separately with a kitchen and bakery social enterprise. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries, but its people are entrepreneurial and striving to develop.
Reseed
Following previous visits as a volunteer with Project Umubano and CFID to Sierra Leone, Richard Allen saw the opportunity to support Sierra Leoneans develop their businesses by establishing a charity Reseed – https://reseed.org.uk, which is registered in the UK. Reseed employs a UK based director who regularly visits Sierra Leone.
CFID are partnering with Reseed, to provide entrepreneurial support and training to 60+ small business owners in Lunsar, a town 80 miles and a three-hour drive from the capital, Freetown. The syllabus will be developed in close consultation with Reseed and will mainly cover microfinance, business development, customer service and employability. The course will culminate in a Dragon’s Den style competition for micro finance packages to be provided by Reseed and CFID.
Many of the small business owners attending have limited literacy and numeracy and so the method of teaching will primarily be storytelling, use of examples, and role plays. The courses will be targeted to match literacy and business skills and will run mornings and afternoons. There is limited electricity in Lunsar, as it is provided by generators, so no PowerPoint slides!
The course itself will be delivered by 12 CFID volunteers held for five days from Monday to Friday 10 – 14 October. It is assumed that volunteers will have business experience.
Accommodation will be in a modest hotel in Lunsar, that is clean, has generator powered electricity and air con. Transport will be arranged for you from Freetown Airport, known as Lungi Airport, to Lunsar. Four-wheel drives will be used over the rough roads.
Lunchbox Gift
CFID are also partnering with Lunchbox Gift, https://www.lunchboxgift.com, a UK registered charity, who provide food to some of the most underdeveloped communities in Freetown. Volunteers will cook and prepare meals in the Lunchbox Gift kitchen and then serve the children at one of their nominated schools. There is a half-day shift in a bakery and the baked items will be transported and served to disabled children at Cheshire Home.
There is also an opportunity to participate in enterprise training for physical disability vendors for two days. The vendors have severe disabilities such as loss of limbs and often have been begging on the streets. They will be given a converted bicycle and training to sell baked products around Freetown to generate their own income. No prior experience is required, while a can-do attitude and compassionate nature will go a long way. Accommodation is likely to be at the Swiss Hotel in Freetown.
In a separate Lunchbox Gift initiative those in Lunsar, will have the opportunity to read with children at a village in Kambia.
Volunteers are self-funded with estimate of costs
Book your own flight to Freetown – estimate £1,000
Re-seed project – Hotel in Lunsar – 6 nights at £55/night – £330
Lunchbox Gift project – Hotel in Freetown – 6 nights at £70/night – £420
Evening dinners – £10/day – £60
Contribution to internal transport – £100
Visa – £109
Yellow fever vaccination – £60 – £85
Plus personal incidental costs
Volunteers for both projects are asked to arrive by Sunday 9 October and stay until at least Saturday 15 October. Volunteers may well want to stay longer in Sierra Leone before or after, perhaps at a beach hotel near Freetown.
We will hold a briefing session for those travelling to Sierra Leone nearer the time with representatives of Reseed and Lunchbox Gift attending to answer questions.
This is a largely a self-funded initiative, though CFID is fund raising to cover some of the extra costs. We are seeking insurance from CCHQ and blood cover Insurance. If we can secure this, we would inform you of the full details in due course.
Umubano in Sierra Leone is being organised by
Caroline Sargent, Director CFID, csargent@cfid.org.uk 07584 229265
Faye Watson flwatson@aol.com 07932 369139
Andy Higginson andyhigginson729@gmail.com 07984 349909
David Millican david.millican@btinternet.com 07412 635228
Between them they have organised and attended numerous Umubano projects for more than ten years in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi
Please address any questions regarding volunteering to mail@cfid.org.uk