Newsletter Article

Sierra Leone is a small coastal country about the size of New Brunswick located on the Atlantic in West Africa. It is home to approximately 6 million people. Sierra Leone is just beginning to emerge from a decade-long (1991-2001) brutal rebel war that claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people, and destroyed the entire infrastructure of homes and institutions. Local United Church minister, Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-Nyande of Wyevale-Waverley is just one of many people displaced by this conflict.
The destruction of the rebel war included Peter’s home town Bunumbu, where he was born and raised. As Peter contemplated visiting home he began to form a plan to help his home town. With support from Wyevale-Waverley (and the whole of Simcoe Presbytery) Peter has spearheaded a project that has raised $33,000 to rebuild the Methodist Primary School that he and his parents attended. Another $10,000 has been raised to provide two wells for the school and the community. Minesing United Church is a supporter of this exciting and transformative project. In June of this year Peter visited Sierra Leone after being absent for eight years to see first hand the work on the school.
He met with the village elders, people working on the school, and many of the children. Previously a few village children sat on rickety benches in a church. Now the presence of a real school has encouraged registration so that more children in the area go to the new school which has six classrooms, offices, a staff room, plus toilets.
There’s lots more work to do for the school and the community. Minesing United Church along with the churches in the area (and some schools, service clubs, and community members!) look forward to a long and productive partnership. Anyone interested in donating funds, or with a good idea for fundraising, please contact Minesing Church (705) 737-5322.

- Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-Nyande