Sierra Leone = Poverty, Hunger & Sadness…Or, does it?

Being a first missioner sent to Sierra Leone as a Financial Coordinator, I was at first very stereotype, thinking Africa was purely linked to the words of poverty, hunger, sympathetic.  So when I set my foot on the African land, I saw images which I have been seeing on television for many years, women carrying things on their heads, children in torn and dirty clothes (if they were wearing any) and families sitting on a pile of dust on roadsides.  But this time, without the provoking music and the slow motions which are edited by the media, it was a completely different feeling to the country! Being an accountant, I must mention that Sierra Leone is ranked 180 out of 182 countries in the 2009 Human Development Index by the UN. Being the poorest country, yet the Sierra Leonean are extremely cheerful and friendly, I was greeted by people on the street everywhere I go, whether it was a handshake, a big smile or big hugs from kids! My one year mission in Sierra Leone has definitely started in the perfect way with the friendliest people I have ever met.  Sierra Leone, you may be a poor country, but definitely a happy one! I’m currently on my forth week on the mission and I look forward to the many more to come. Gloria

Gloria LEUNG, Accountant from Hong Kong, joined MSF in 2010. She was sent to Sierra Leone for her first mission.