Slow Food Vancouver Island received a lovely thank you note from our Slow Food garden leader in Sierra Leone. But the thanks really belongs to you our members and supporters, who made our Sketches from Trauma Farm evening and silent auction November 12 such a success. His e-mail is copied below along with some images.
THANKS TO YOU FROM SIERRA LEONE
Dear Slow Food Vancouver Island supporters:
It is with great joy the members of the Slow Food community gardens in
Sierra Leone have learnt about your generous financial donation for the
maintenance and repair of their community farms and garden tools. This will
enable us increase productivity and fetch us considerable increase in our regular
income. Thanks to Slow Food Vancouver Island in Canada.
The advantage of having Slow Food gardens in Sierra Leone can be seen
clearly. Most of our produce is now sold to the local school boarding home
management and the school community. The project has helped hundreds of
people receive food from the gardens planted in homes, schools and
communities, particularly people who can't grow food for themselves -
like orphans, venerable children, the sick, the elderly and the
desperately poor.
However, the unexpected blow to the community of the Ebola outbreak left an
indelible mark on a whole range of people and communities in our country.
A huge number of these are the children and women, many women became widows
and children became orphans.
Kudos to the Slow Food Vancouver Island members for their immense, valuable and meaningful assistance to the 72 orphan children identified by the Slow Food members in the Slow Food gardens communities in the country. This assistance has made life for these
venerable kids indeed more comfortable for which we are very grateful.
Our sincere gratitude goes to you for their support.
"I WANT TO MEET BROOKE AND HIS MEMBERS OF THE SLOW FOOD VANCOUVER ISLAND ONLY TO SAY MY PERSONAL THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THEM FOR THAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR ME” SAYS MISS MEMUNATU, A NINE YEAR OLD CHILD.
Sincerely
Ibrahim Mansaray, Slow Food Leader Sierra Leone