The President of the Catholic Bishops' Council, Charles Campbell, says the government's plan to provide free and quality education is "a laudable venture" and praised the measures Bio is taking to transform Sierra Leone.

The Church is willing to complement government's efforts through their numerous schools across the country, Campbell told Bio.

He said over the past few months he and his fellow bishops have been following the new government's efforts to embark on development and social progress for the benefit of its citizens.

Campbell praised the government's fight against corruption, saying collective and decisive action must be taken to curb it.

"Our Holy Father Pope Francis has said that corruption infects the world like a cancer and that the church must combat it by working with society.

"There is always the possibility that those who seek to fight corruption will be undermined, misunderstood or even be misinterpreted.

"It is our wish that the scourge of corruption and its attendant practices will be faced with vigilant truth and justice.

"We pray that you exercise your office to pursue the common good, especially in the care for the most vulnerable in society. We encourage you, sir, to uphold the values of the Gospel and bring the social teachings of the Church in the execution of your duties."

The bishops told Bio that, as a church, their greatest concern was the need for moral and ethical considerations in governance.

Everyone should come on board to build a country based on democratic values, justice and fundamental rights, they said.

The Catholic Church has a "substantial following" in the mainly Muslim country.

It is one of the leading religious institutions in terms of provision of social services and has been particularly successful in helping with education and healthcare.

Source

• Sierra Leone Telegraph
• Journal du Cameroon
• Image: Sierra Leone Telegraph

We had just come home from school when we heard gunfire. I remember I was lifting my school uniform over my head when the first shot was fired. People started running and screaming, "get down - there are guns, there are rebels".

Normal life ended for me that very minute, that afternoon and never has gone back to the same.

I was only 9 years old and, during the confusion that followed, just wanted my mum. She had been in transit that morning and so was separated from the rest of the family. I didn't know where she was or even whether she was still alive. It was a feeling worse than being in the war itself.

The rebels in Liberia at the time were horrible looking and just the sight of them would make you shiver. They would smear the blood of victims on their faces and that smell surrounded them. They killed people and a group of them ate our dogs.

The first group of rebels were fully grown men, but eventually they were boys.

My dad's younger sister arranged a way for us to get out of Monrovia, by stowing away on the Sierra Leone army ship. I think there were about two hundred people packed onto that ship. I remember a lady holding a baby who was pushed and the baby flung out of her arms. I don't know what happened to that lady but her baby drowned in the ocean. Continue reading

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• Stuff