Eyes to See Africa: From the Verandahs of Sierra Leone

Kinney's dark room echoes a monk’s spare cell. Mosquito net. Metal cot. Two suitcases. A two-year vow of near-poverty. Outside on the road, chickens chase giant bugs. Goats weave through the foot-traffic as people balance baskets, bundles, and buckets on their heads.It will get better. She'll figure it out.Taking a break from her Silicon Valley desk job gives service to a needy world and brings her middle-aged self back to basics. A new community center seeks her health and rural development skills, introducing her to the people of the chiefdom. She meets kindness and acceptance amid the complicated "how-do" of days lived without electricity or clean water.Unfamiliar noises, food, and taboos shape her new life. From landing to takeoff, Kinney’s adventure never subsides. The story demands to be shared.Rumblings of the coming 11-year civil war intensify over Kinney’s 26-month stay. The culture, infrastructure—everything she encounters—will be transformed. Her adventure becomes history, an archive of pre-war community structure and life.Bridging two worlds, Kinney Thiele finds that the verandahs of Sierra Leone offer neutral ground for direct exchange. A greeting to passers-by, a short visit, or a long conversation offer warm chances to widen the two-way perspectives of all involved. Read more