By Abayomi Charles Roberts, Edmonton, Canada.
The Sierra Leone Women’s Support Group on Saturday 8th December 2007 hosted a Christmas party for children of Sierra Leonean descent in Edmonton.
There were many gifts to go around, a lot of space for dancing, and a feast of food and beverages. The music, by courtesy of ‘Ivansonics’ deejay Ivan Ekundayo Jackson, was just as good. One could easily tell by the way the toddlers tumbled to the beat.
The party was held in the afternoon at the Abbottsfield Recreation Centre in northeast Edmonton. The Sierra Leone Women’s Support Group is headed by Mrs. Rachel Fallah as president. It was formed by Sierra Leonean women “committed to improving the quality of life of Sierra Leonean women and their families in the Edmonton area.”
Highlights of the occasion included the giving of gifts to the children with each child being cuddled/hugged and kissed by a seated Santa Claus as he/she received a gift. Parcels were given out by age group and gender: the newborn babies, one-to-three-year olds, four-to-sevens, eight-to-elevens, and those between 12 and 16. There was also a special group photo taken of all the children at the party including the newly born, along with their mothers. Some of the older kids also recited poems to wrap up the party. Two others, Osman Kamara (Jr.) and Aminata Marah, gave a Vote of Thanks on behalf of boys and girls respectively.
Mrs. Fallah(photo) initiated the Christmas party project. The group later got the assistance of the Tri Parish Peace and Justice Ministry in Edmonton. The latter were sponsors, with some of its members even helping out in preparing the place and organizing the kids to meet Santa. The ministry is a Christian body made of three parishes in Edmonton: St. Thomas Moore, St. Agnes and St. Anthony.
The Peace and Justice Ministry sought, brought and packaged the gifts. But it was not an all-adult affair; school children from three Edmonton schools donated and wrapped the gifts. There were the students of Louis St. Laurent schools (Junior and Senior High) and also the pupils of the St. Mary’s Elementary School who not only decorated the ARC hall but also donated a beautiful Christmas tree that brightened up the party hall. Greg Robson, Department Head at Louis St. Laurent Junior/ Senior High School, was among several helpers from the donors/ sponsors at hand. Several Ministry members like Maureen Gonveia and Ellen Taylor (Chair) also graced the occasion.
Ellen Taylor told The Patriotic Vanguard that the three Catholic parishes formed the ministry about seven years ago “to work together in areas of local and international peace and social justice...”.
In an article published in the Agust 22, 2007 edition of The Western Catholic Reporter, Ellen Taylor writes: “Actions ranging from refugee sponsorship to construction of (one) Habitat for Humanity house, to an impending house-building project in Guatemala are only some of the fruits of a combined effort by the social justice ministries at three south Edmonton parishes.”
She goes elsewhere in the article: “The southwesth parishes have a history of providing assistance to refugees. From 1979 to 2000, St, Anthony Parish sponsored more than 120refugees referred by Catholic Social Services. They sponsored at least 500 others without financial assistance over this 21-year period; providing home furnishings, clothing and moral support.”
At the party, Ellen not only helped the ‘Sierra Leonean’ Santa Claus hand out the gifts and cheer up the kids, she made a formal donation, on the Ministry’s behalf, to the group at the end of the party. Mrs. Rachel Fallah gave the final vote of thanks as she received the special gift.
Arthur B. Roberts, himself a new dad, helped anchor the formalities as one of the MCs. Arthur B. and his wife Mamah B, had a baby boy on September 24. Named TJA Roberts (after his grandpa the late Mr. TJA Roberts), the new born was also at the party.
An extract from official documents of SLWSG reads: “The group was formed in 2000 with the aim of addressing the needs of women and children arriving in Edmonton. Membership is open to every Sierra Leonean living in Edmonton.” The document goes on: “Our services are mainly targeted at vulnerable Sierra Leonean women but we do not discriminate in service delivery; we seek and give assistance regardless of age, ethnic or religious background.”
“The group enables and empowers women for national and self-development through the following:
§ Provision of advice and information on immigration and welfare issues or refugees
§ Development of community-based projects and co-ordination of seminars and conferences aimed at addressing the growing needs of women and their families in areas of health, education and development.
§ Study and analyses of the needs of vulnerable target groups within the (Sierra Leonean) community in Edmonton
§ Co-ordinating social events and fundraising activities to support food and used clothing projects for beneficiaries in Sierra Leone.
§ The group also gives moral and financial support to members when they have weddings, birthdays, arrival of a new born and funerals.
§ Education is our key factor. We stress the importance of education to our members. Regardless of educational background we encourage every member to go back to school to improve their self esteem. We are happy to announce the year 2005 has been very successful for us: seven of our members graduated from different institutions in Edmonton.
By setting these limits, we are taking more control of our lives, increasing our self-esteem and establishing boundaries in our relationships.”
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