At a belated dinner/dance over the weekend, marking the 48th anniversary of the independence of Sierra Leone , Muckson emphasized, “My dear compatriots here in Winnipeg and Canada as a whole, and in other parts of the world, please support developmental programs in all areas of life in our country, Sierra Leone . The situation there is desperate and we simply cannot sit back and wait for government alone to do everything. Therefore, on behalf of SALNAM and in my own name, I am calling on all of you for your unrelenting support”.
Muckson Sesay announced that the executive of the SALNAM has successfully shipped and distributed 104 top-notch computers to 11 institutions in Sierra Leone . He said the reception there was amazing and that it was an encouragement to do even more.
He took the occasion to thank all the individuals and agencies in Winnipeg , especially Hands of Hope and Powerland Computers, who donated 60% of the computers which were all pentium3s, to which SALNAM added the remaining 40% Pentium4s.
At the end of his plea Muckson showed a video of the reception of the computers in Freetown, not only as proof of the event but mainly as an encouragement for the audience to pass on the message that people back home are appreciative of even the little that those outside of the country do for them.
In the following exclusive interview with Muckson Sesay, at his residence after the event, I started by congratulating him for heading such a wonderful project and asked him what kind of computers were sent.
Muckson: First, let me clarify: There were no laptops sent to Sierra Leone. Initially, when we started the project, we requested for laptops, and we had a few. But those laptops were not necessarily compatible. They were outdated; their lifespan was over. So, sending them away would have been like sending toxic material, which would not do any good to our students. So, we decided to go for better machines.
F: How were the computers obtained?
Muckson: We have to very grateful to a local company in Winnipeg called Powerland Computers. When we started the project we basically requested computers from every organization. We went online and on websites requesting. So,donations started pouring in even ranging from individuals to different organizations like Hands of Hope and Powerland Computers, who donated the Pentium3 computers. The rest of the computers, the Pentium4s were purchased by the SALNAM executive.
F: Could you describe the general condition of the computers? Were they in working order?
Muckson: Actually, one of the objectives of SALNAM was that what we sent back there did not end up in land fields but rather should be useful. That is why when we had the Pentium3s SALNAM decided to buy the Pentium4 machines. All of them were properly diagnosed and updated with modern software up to Canadian standard. The other objective of course is to bring our classroom to the 21st century. We need to promote programs for our teachers and to make sure that these teachers effectively use these computers to teach our students as a result, we will have a very strong work force that we can all be proud of.
F: Obviously, you were very instrumental in the project. What exactly did you do?
Muckson: I have to make this very clear. It was a collective effort by the SALNAM executive, people of Manitoba and even beyond, who contributed and attended the SALNAM fundraising event. Volunteers also came from other communities to help diagnose the computers. As the chairman of the Development Committee, I took about 400 hours, four hours for each machine, to diagnose them. When the machines came in some of them had no hard drive, no RAM and a lot of them had hardware some issues. So, I had to make sure that each machine was opened. I went from store to store to purchase hard drives and RAMs and installed them. I tested the hard drive, loaded the operating system and updated them with other applications like C++, Java and Compilers, which we thought would be helpful to the students.
F: All that time and technical skill! Please tell me: How much did you charge for the work?
Muckson: Honestly, many people thought I asked for something. But those who know me, including the SALNAM executive, knew I wasn’t interesting in charging (for the work). The short answer is no, I did it for free, for the interest of my country. As long as the computers go to the right people, I feel honoured and humbled for that.
F: In any project of that size, there are bound to be hazard challenges. What would you say were the obstacles in this project, if any?
Muckson: One of the challenges was avoiding to send garbage to Sierra Leone. The other, and very important one, was to make sure the machines go to the intended recipients.
F: How were these challenges met?
Muckson: Before we started the SALNAM executive and the (Development) committee put together a regulatory framework as to how the machines are going to be distributed. We made sure not to deal with individual people there; Rather, we initiated an agency agreement with an organization to implement our project openly. We had legal documents and video-taped everything. One very tricky thing that we did was that before the machines arrived in the country we prepared a list of recipients who already knew how many machines they were going to receive from our implementing partners. We had a live telephone conversation on the UN radio with DJ-Base. We had a live interview from Canada, and that was when we actually read the list of recipients. The recipients then contacted the implementing partner with the number of computers they should have. So, everything was transparent.
F: who took delivery of the consignment, and could you comment on the reception?
Muckson: The reception was overwhelming, as you saw in the video of the event. The Organization for Peace in Sierra Leone had an open-door program attended by school principals and the media.
F: As you stated, 11 institutions received the computers. Who were, should I say lucky enough, to receive these computers and how many for each? Muckson: I cannot give you an exact number off-head for each institution. However, the computers were given according to the capacity of how the institutions were going to use the systems. We gave institutions like Fourah Bay College, Njala Teachers College, of Medicine, the Law School, Milton Teachers College, Bo Teachers College, Makeni Teachers College, Portloko Teachers College, Government Technical Institute and SLAJ (Sierra Leone Association of Journalists).
F: How did those institutions qualify?
Muckson: Well, Freetown is the metropolis. Obviously, there are more institutions there, especially since the outbreak of the war. But we tried our best to spread out to institutions outside of the capital city. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of electricity in certain places like Kono or beyond Kabala, we couldn’t give them. So, it was based on the need and capacity. We went through the applications. But it was not only that. Another condition was that we made sure that the institution had a computer department.
F: There is some concern in certain quarters that the computers might not be put into the intended use. What’s your reaction to that?
Muckson: We had a regulatory framework. Every school signed the agreement before taking delivery of the machines. Actually, there’s a saying in Creole: “A hundred days for tiffman, wan day for masta os.” Anyone caught misusing those computers will be definitely persecuted in the Anti-Corruption Commission that is based in Freetown.
F. What system, if any, has been put in place to guarantee the proper use of the computers? In other words what happens if the computers are misused?
Muckson: We talked to the beneficiaries. There are more, or should I say, better things coming up, following this project. Any school that misuses its computers stands a chance of losing what is coming later. We warned all recipients that they should be mindful that this is a national issue. We also have a monitoring system and someone will be going down to Freetown in May, to follow-up.
F: Concerning maintenance, how do you expect that to be done and financed?
Muckson: In that respect, I commend the SALNAM executive and Development Committee. We made proposals to a few organizations within Canada to see how best they could help us promote training programs for the maintenance of these machines. I cannot say much on that right now. But we will let the media know what we have in mind for that later.
F: Now that this project has been successful to this point, should groups or even individuals in
Canada or other countries follow this bright example, or take it as a challenge, and do better,
how would you feel - encouraged to do more, proud, jealous, outraged … ?
Muckson: Oh, my goodness! That’s why I made the call for Sierra Leoneans abroad to come out in their numbers to support developmental projects back home. I’ll be the happiest person to see other organizations emulate us. We have to be partners in development. When it comes to developing our country, we have to work together.
F: They say one good turn deserves another. Is there going to be any follow-up to this goodwill
gesture?
Muckson: Well, the SALNAM executive already has a couple of projects in the pipeline. However, I am not in position to say much about that right now. I can only say that SALNAM has already acquired land in Freetown to possibly build an institution there. We will let the public know as things unfold.
F: To conclude, Mr. Muckson Sesay, what message would you have for the beneficiaries of these computers?
Muckson: Very good! I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the SALNAM executive and all Sierra Leoneans everywhere, to remind these beneficiaries that this is a privilege and not a right for them to have those computers. So, they should take this as a challenge for them to use the machines only for their intended purpose. For those deserving institutions that didn’t get any of the computers this time around, I can only encourage them to be patient because this is only the beginning. We have everyone at heart and their time will come.
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