Computer says...
on M&S Diary (Sierra Leone), 19/May/2006 20:51, 34 days ago
Well, it's out. Today M&I found out where we're going! The answer: Freetown,Sierra Leone, West Africa, on the Atlantic.We both feel so excited! It fits the bill in being something relatively unknown, which we were talking aboutbefore.In other words: an experience which won't be easily predetermined by media or our own prior knowledge, but lived (we hope) experientially and powerfully.Maro is going to be working in HIV/AIDs research, specifically working in the provinces to the north of the city. It seems from initial googling that in the aftermath of the civil war the estimates of HIV prevalance rates were naively low. In other words, a lot of work needs to be done in re-evaluating the state of play and helping to build capacity for responding effectively to a largely unrecognised situation. From what we can tell, M will mostly be involved in investigating this at the grass-roots and identifying priorities for the VSO country office in Freetown.And me? Well it seems I'll be working with the National Electoral Commission, who promote participation in citizenship and electoral processes as well as monitoring elections. I'll be running a website, designing citizenship materials for a wide range of groups and looking for cavalier opportunities to increase participation. As with Maro, there's likely to be some travel involved, although Sierra Leone is a small country.Can't say much more for now. We both feel quite exhausted! For such a long time we've been feeling like we would be going without a destination! But now we know, well... It's all too strangely real.