Arts and Culture Sierra Leone Project #17778

WeOwnTV: Idriss Kpange Filmmaker Fellowship

by Mirabel Pictures / WeOwnTV

WeOwnTV: Idriss Kpange Filmmaker Fellowship

Project Report | Nov 3, 2015
Now The Healing Begins

By Arthur Pratt | Freetown Media Center Manager

Lansana Mansaray, Freetown Media Center manager

Greeting to all our incredible supporters!

I wanted to reach out and thank you all again for the incredible support you have given us during this difficult time. We are nearing an important milestone here in Sierra Leone. If no new cases are reported by November 7th it will mark 42 consecutive days and Sierra Leone will be declared Ebola Free.

Everybody in Sierra Leone is ready to turn the page and begin rebuilding our country. At the WeOwnTV Freetown Media Center, we have begun to shift our social impact activities to address more complex psychosocial issues affecting the country. We have renamed our campaign accordingly to, "Now The Healing Begins: Life After Ebola."

We know too well how events like our civil war in the 90's can actually define how you are know to the international world. It is there for critical that we have a voice in how this history is written. We are very proud of what we have accomplished so far in engaging Sierra Leonean media-makers and community members to be a major part of this effort and have put together an ambitious production schedule through 2016.

I look forward to updating you all as we begin to share our accomplishments.

I recently uploaded a personal message about the importance of media participation that I would like to share:

A Message from Arthur Pratt

As we near the end of the year I ask that you continue to support our efforts in Sierra Leone. You can do this by sharing this campaign with other who might consider a donation, increasing your donation to the project and by simply reaching out to members of our team with words of support.

With my deepest gratitude,

Arthur Pratt

The Greatest Miracle

Links:

Our Survivors film & the Importance of Media Participation

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Jul 7, 2015
Staying Positive Is Staying Healthy

By Banker White | Executive Director

MJ Sessy Kamara films at Tamba Kula Wharf

Hello Everyone,

Although the infection rate in Sierra Leone has been falling, the Ebola outbreak is not over. In the past couple weeks there have been unexpected flare ups of new cases, especially in the informal settlements near Freetown. We are worried that complacency is setting in and want your help to continue our important work at WeOwnTV. We launched a new campaign in April called: NOW THE HEALING BEGINS: LIFE AFTER EBOLA. GlobalGiving is giving us a unique opportunity to turbo-charge our fundraising efforts and will match every dollar donated to our campaign. We have have just $8,000 left to reach our goal so please help us spread the word and donate what you can!

As frustrations grow we feel it is more important than ever to continue to share life saving educational health messaging, but also to create and provide forums for expression and democratic debate. At WeOwnTV we are working to put a human face on the heroes of the Ebola crisis – nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and families trying to protect their loved one.

“We are telling stories that are so needed for our country’s healing process at this time. For me the greatest miracle is to make a change in the life of somebody." - WeOwnTV Manager Arthur Pratt

We working to help Sierra Leone turn the page on this crisis and to enter the post Ebola era with positivity. Here is a short clip that features some footage of the release of the quarantined area of Tamba Kula Wharf near Freetown. Informal settlements like Tamba Kula, with congested living situations and poor hygienic conditions are the communities that are still continuing to eradicate the disease. View clip HERE

Clip ends with these inspiring words from Arthur Pratt,

“I am proud of Sierra Leone and we have accomplished a great deal in sensitizing our people and taking the message out to our people. To see you contributing to making a change. I want the international community to understand that showing us a little bit of love will help us, opening up the doors of compassion towards us will help us. And making sure that Sierra Leone and we at WeOwnTv will accomplish our dreams, because that is why we are here; to give meaning to life.”

Thank you for your time and your contributions.

Banker White and WeOwnTV

WeOwnTV interviews Aberdeen harbor master.

Tamba Kula Quaratine

Links:

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Apr 1, 2015
Now The Healing Begins!

By Banker White | Project Director

Mohamed & Joyce: Ebola Champions

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for supporting our fundraising efforts thus far! There is no way we could carry out our work without your generous contributions. Over the past months, we’ve been experiencing some important milestones that we wanted to share with you.

On March 20th, for the first time since the start of the Ebola epidemic, Sierra Leone recorded zero new cases of the disease. While flare-ups still occur, the containment of the outbreak “ushers light into a dark tunnel,” says Arthur Pratt. However, a new threat is on the horizon. “Looming over the most acute medical pandemic of our time is a political issue that threatens not only to destroy the gains we have made in the fight against Ebola but create a state of long term instability thereby taking our country backward,” Arthur tells us. Now, as peoples’ most immediate paralyzing fears are starting to wane, pent up frustrations are exacerbating the already tense social and political climate.

At this time, it is more important than ever to provide forums for expression and democratic debate, not just spreading awareness about the disease, but also so that Sierra Leoneans feel that their voices are heard. WeOwnTV’s programs – documentary portraits, our citizen journalism program, our pen-pal program and our continuing PSA campaign – provide this very forum. By putting a human face on the heroes of the Ebola crisis – nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and families trying to protect their loved ones – our programs tell the stories and share the experiences that are so needed for the country’s healing process at this time.

In order to support this work, we are launching a new campaign: NOW THE HEALING BEGINS: LIFE AFTER EBOLA to raise a total of $10,000. And, GlobalGiving is giving us a unique opportunity to turbo-charge our fundraising efforts. All throughout the month of April, GlobalGiving will match every dollar donated to our campaign. If enough supporters contribute $5,000, that means we’ll reach our goal of $10,000!

As Arthur tells us: “The road to the end of Ebola has been bumpy, but that has not dampen the spirit of the nation.” We are poised and ready to continue the fight against Ebola and to work towards positive change in Sierra Leone at this critical moment in the country’s history. Come join this fight with us by donating HERE.

Thank you for your time and your contributions.

Banker White and WeOwnTV

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