WHEN IN NEED
Unforeseen and devastating disasters occur when least expected. Sadly, more often than not, it disproportionately affects those who are most in need. Therefore, the organization does its best to rally partners and friends, in order to provide aid, as quickly as possible, when such events take place.
The Ebola Outbreak
One thousand five hundred poor households in communities around Lumley, Waterloo, Wellington, Magborka, Rotifunk and Lungi suburbs have benefited from The Rice Distribution Project implemented by the Foundation.
The purpose of the project has been to support the government in its inclusive fight to end the stories of Ebola before April this year. According to Plan International, one of the biggest challenges in the face of the Ebola epidemic is the lack of access to food, this is especially felt in many of the quarantined districts where the lack of food has led to starvation.
Communities around Lumley, Waterloo, Lungi suburbs, and Rotifunk were the prime beneficiaries of this humanitarian gesture.
Distribution commenced in the early weeks of February, and by strict guidelines from the foundation, only registered homes benefitted from the distribution to avoid clustering of people, in an effort to prevent gatherings in the Public State of Emergency.
Furthermore, the lack of equipment to properly fight Ebola was another problem that Sierra Leone faced. Therefore, in an effort to support the government, the organization sent down a 20 ft container with ca 21,000 masks and 5400 protective gowns from Stavanger hospital, acquired with help from Marit Myrland. In addition to that, ca 12 000 liters of chlorine, as well as gloves and antibacterial substances, were packed into the container, by students from Eikeli and Ullern, family and friends, over the course of one week to combat the spread of the deadly virus. With generous donations from private individuals as well as our partners, the organization was able to fill the container to its fullest.
Atea IT-company, Ullern, Eikeli, Erna & Knut Eng, Trygve Hegnar, as well as Lions Arendal, Lions Snarøya, and Lions Rustad, are among the donors who generously contributed to our project.
Mudslide Catastrophy
In 2017, terrible mudslides took the lives of thousands of Sierra Leoneans as a result of heavy rains that were unlike any other raining season in Sierra Leone before. The mudslides left a shocking number of people without their homes, loved ones, and food.
Amidst the shocking death toll, that was at the time, still rising, as well as the number of missing people, the Foundation wanted to help provide food for those affected by this horrible catastrophe. Therefore, the rice project was re-opened in order to distribute rice to the people of Sierra Leone.
Through fundraising, as well as donations from partners, friends, and private individuals, FNSL was able to donate over 1000 bags of rice to those in need.
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
As the whole world struggles with the ongoing novel Coronavirus Pandemic, Sierra Leone was no exception to the grappling ramifications of the pandemic. The people experienced the reverberations as increased demand for goods escalated the pricing of necessities, leaving already struggling households unable to afford the most essential commodity; food.
In an urgency to help, the organization, through generous donations from ATEA, Knut&Erna Eng Barnefond, and Petro Nor Ltd. were able to distribute over 700 bags of rice to households that were the most in need.
The distribution was arranged to cover two hundred and seventy-five households at Lumley Beach Road, another two hundred disadvantaged residents of Brookfields, and three hundred more including, pupils of the Prosperity Girls High School, and those living on the streets.
