Board of Directors:

 

James G. Pelton MD

 

Lynn Pelton BSN

 

Anne-Marie Trombold PT

 

Michael Allman BS

 

Sue Cedarleaf

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“My Problem” Tragedy in Sierra Leone

 

Imagine if you will a small, beautiful country on the west coast of Africa blessed with sandy white beaches and tropical mountains rising from the sea.   A country rich in many natural resources, including diamonds.   This is Sierra Leone.

 

Now imagine a difficult life in one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 176th of 177 nations on the U.N. Human Development Index, where 80% of the 5 million people live below the poverty line with an average income of $200 per year. The literacy rate is 15%, with only 1 out of 10 children able to attend school.   The average life expectancy is 45 years. This too is Sierra Leone.

 

Now try to imagine an 11 year civil war (1991-2002) in which rebel forces allegedly supported by warlord, Charles Taylor, from neighboring Liberia, devastates your beautiful country.  Thousands of men, women, and children become the target of brutality.   Thousands of boys and girls are abducted and forced to serve as soldiers or prostitutes.   Major destruction of the infrastructure, farms, and livestock has a devastating economic impact.  Approximately 75,000 people die during the 11 year conflict and nearly 2 million are displaced.   This is Sierra Leone.

 

Now imagine something even more horrific - the wanton amputations committed to men, women and children; it mattered not to the rebels.   Arms, legs, feet, hands, and a variety of other body parts, brutally severed with machetes and axes.   And now imagine that you are one of the 6,000 survivors.  Imagine you are one of the living who now has this “problem," (that is the term used by some amputee victims to describe their disability), with little means of supporting yourself.  

 

“Disabled people want to be treated as normal citizens with rights.  

They want to be treated equally and participate as equal citizens

in their communities”

(Joshua Mallinga-Chairperson of Disabled Peoples International).

 

“ What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? 

Can such FAITH SAVE HIM?   Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes

and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well, keep warm

and be well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good 

is it?”

( James 2nd Chapter; Verse 16;  The Bible)

 

GGM-USA along with our partners in Sierra Leone, GGM-SL and SLASC, are working to find sustainable solutions to assist those who are now permanently disabled.  God has heard their cries and our mission is to respond.  Won’t you help?

 

Mission Statement:

Greatest Goal Ministries-USA is a charitable, non-profit Christian organization committed to supporting the war-affected amputees, and their families, in Sierra Leone, Africa by financially supporting our partner organizations, Greatest Goal Ministries –Sierra Leone and the Single Leg Amputee Sports Club (SLASC). Our focus is to assist with the economic, physical, emotional, spiritual and social reintegration of disabled amputees and their families in Sierra Leone.