Dear ~Enable the Children~ Supporters,

It's been a while since I've updated you in whats been going on.... so now is my chance.

Firstly - you'll see below is Sarah's Newsletter.

Sarah is our on the ground British Occupational Therapist. She is doing an amazing job in Sierra Leone at the grass roots level of working with our Sierra Leonean staff to keep the project rolling.

Read some encouraging and challenging stories of life out there.

Secondly - update from the UK office (- my home and many other parts of my mind and life!)

~ Amazingly we now have enough money to buy a 'new to us' 4x4 car. People have been incredibly generous at helping us get the word of our need out there and to fund-raise. We have had enough donations for not only buying the car, but also shipping it out too, whilst maintaining the provision of the on-going day to day costs. Thank you all for your generousity - you know who you are.

~ It has been a HUGE job weighing up the tangled dilemmas of buying in Freetown vs buying in UK and shipping. I think (although we're still keeping our eyes open) we've decided on buying in the UK as we can get much more for our money and we can check the engine and mechanics with an excellently qualified engineer (thanks Dan!). HOWEVER - this does mean trying to navigate the complex and time consuming rigmorals of the Sierra Leone ports and tax systems. We think we are entitled to a duty free import, but re-registering our project with the Minsitry of Social Welfare this year has also taken some unexpected demands (both financially and paperwork). We'll get there in the end and are not worried about the registration as we know it will happen in their (african) timing, but we don't want to be delayed in getting the new car out while we wait for the Waiver of Duty. I have also learnt much about shipping to Africa, if anyone ever needs to know, and I've been in touch with some very helpful people!

Watch this space for what happens next!

~ There have been many developments in SL that we've been working on too.

~ Our new Rehab Assistant, Ambrose George, is had an excellent start with us and Sarah is focusing much time on getting him up to scratch.


~ Abu, our longest standing staff member is leading Ambrose through the communities as he also keeps his head down, focussed on the children we work with and encouraging their progress.


~ The rent on our office space in Freetown will be coming to an end next March and we are currently investigating relocating to a space where Abu might live and caretake the equipment and property. This is another huge step for us in empowering our local staff.


~ There is a possibility of taking on yet another Rehab Assistant later in the year, who has been working with MercyShips for the past year. There is plenty of work for us all, it's just more a case of how many staff we can manage to oversee, support and pay.


~ We have not finalised a new permanent driver for the project yet, but the SL team are using a few different people as they see how that turns out.


~ Katy, the US Physical Therapist who I will have mentioned to some of you, is now living with her husband in Freetown and is currently working out how she will split her time between the government run Children's hospital and our own project. We hope she will pick up some of a supervisory role and become a good clinical advisor of the project as sadly Sarah will coming to the end of her time in SL later next year.


~ We've decided that the demands of me working fulltime (as a physio here in the UK) as well as trying to oversee the complexities of the above for ~ETC~ has frankly been too much. Rob and I have agreed that I'm going to give up a day a week to keep the ~ETC~ stuff going, and believe me it is for his gain as much as mine!!

Every step along the way I feel we are blind to what is coming next. All I can do is try to make wise decisions for now and trust in God for where we are heading.

For as long as God continues to provide the people, the love, the finances and the passion, we will carry on strong.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. Keep praying and being hopeful for the work are are striving to do.

Blessings,
Vez and Rob