A delegation from ProFuturo went to Sierra Leone to find out more about the African country and to try to close the education gap that exists there. After visiting different educational centres, Ignacio González and Virginia Chinchilla have returned to Spain enthused about their experience.
Ignacio starts the account of their trip by recalling the Clarissan Sisters, who gave them a warm welcome and who were keen to highlight the story of one of their number, Sister Mari Luz. She was born in Mexico, but spent a major part of her life in Sierra Leone working to promote the dignity of women. She runs the María Inés Vocational School where they teach professional skills such as cookery, sewing, computer science and hairdressing to adult women who never had the chance to go to school as girls. It is very important training for them because, as Sister Mari Luz points out, many of them are unable to read or write.
What impressed Ignacio and Virginia most about Mari Luz is the professionalism of the way she works. She has led numerous projects and even devoted herself exclusively to running a project to combat the Ebola outbreak in 2014. When she met Ignacio and Virginia, Sister Mari Luz was very excited by the ProFuturo programme.
This is how Ignacio and Virginia describe the four days they spent living among the Clarissan Sisters: ‘it was, without doubt, an enriching experience. We spent hours chatting with them and listening to all the experiences they have been through over the years of their mission. Their tales filled us with energy!’.
Ignacio and Virginia have returned with the hope that they can very soon initiate a ProFuturo programme in Sierra Leone. We would also like to use this post for you to discover the song that these youngsters listened to most when travelling between the schools they visited.
