Thanks for your help

Hello all; Mo here again. Let me start by thanking all those who have made donations to the charity (Help Sierra Leone), I greatly appreciate it. So far, many of you have donated clothes, bag, shoes, money, and other items. Your donations are for a worthy cause.

As you know, your donations are tax deductible and you are helping others in need. I am really encouraged by the help from my colleagues and friends so far and I look forward to more of it in the coming weeks and months.

If you will like to make a donation, please make your check payable to "Help Sierra Leone" and contact me at mailto:mch4434@fsu.edu.I thank you all and I look forward to your continued support.

Mo

Thanks in advance to you all

Let me start off by thanking all those who have already shown an interest in helping out with both the scholarship fund and clorthing drive, I greatly appreciate it.

As many of you know, I was in Sierra Leone, West Africa this summer; my experience was such that I decided upon my return to start a scholarship fund to help indigent families send their children to school, and a clothing drive to help people back in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is currently recovering from an 11 year civil war. The war left thousands dead and ruined the country economy. More than half of Sierra Leone's population live on less than $1 a day. My experience not only gave me a greater appeciation for my life in the U.S, but it also motivated me to help those less fortunate than myself.

As a native Sierra Leonean and a citizen of the world, it breaks my heart to see so many people (including family members) suffer. I was fortunate and blessed to leave the country when I did; or else, I could have been in a similar situation that so many others now find themselves. I can't help people there by myself; so I ask for your help. With your help, I know we can help so many people better their lives, and it does not cost much at all. For example, the cost of a movie ticket, popcorn and drinks can send a child to school for a year in Sierra Leone. A donation of $30 can send a child to school for a year, and a donation of $50 can pay a child's tuition for a year, buy his/her books, stationery and uniforms.

For my law school colleagues and friends, I ask that you drop off any new or used clothing, shoes, books etc, n the box next to the 3L folders in the law school's lobby. If you will like to donate to the scholarship fund, please contact me at mch4434@fsu.edu, or 850-322-1305. I'm currently working on the necessary paperwork needed to start a charitable organization. I will update my blog on the progress of getting the necessary paperwork.

Donations are not limited to the items I mentioned. Please feel free to donate anything that can be of use to others. I know with everyone's help, we will be able to ship clothes, books, shoes, school stationery and other items to Sierra Leone by Christmas. I really look forward to your help in helping others that are so less fortunate than us. I thank you in advance for your help and I hope to hear from you soon. Please feel free to share this message and request with your family and friends.

None of us can change what happened in Sierra Leone, but we can all help the victims of Sierra Leone's civil war. I ask you to say a prayer for them and all those who have fallen victim to violence around the world.

On this site are pictures and stories of my stay in Sierra Leone. I hope you take the time to ready the stories and send me any comments/suggestions that you may have. I really hope and look forward to your help, and may God bless you and all your loved ones. Thank you all.

P.S: Also, please log onto www.internationaldove.com for more information on one of the charities I visited while in Sierra Leone.

Sincerely
Mo

Pics

Leaving Sierra Leone

Hello all, Mo here again. As many of you know, this marks the end of my summer experience. It was an experience I will forever cherish because I got to spend time with my family and friends again (especially my grandma and after almost 12 years), learned a lot about the law and myself, and I got to contribute (in my little way) to the rehabilitation of my home country.

I thank all those who made this experience possible. I will be forever grateful to you all. It was very painful saying goodbye to my family and friends again (especially my grandma), but I hope to return in the very near future. I already miss my family and all those I had the privilege of meeting during my stay in Sierra Leone. I left Sierra Leone a better person than when I arrived.

I thank my colleagues (including my supervisors) for their hospitality and support; they helped me learn so much. More than ever, I'm now sure about what I want to do with my law degree and my experience this summer made that possible.

To my family, friends and all those I had the pleasure of meeting in Sierra Leone, I thank you all, miss you all and I love you all. I hope to see you all in the very near future. May God bless you all and your loved ones.

Mo

Hello All

Hello all; how is everyone doing? I hope all is fine and well. As for me, let me start by apologizing for taking so long to update my blog. Work has been crazy the past month. Between work and spending time with my family and friends, especially my grandmother who has been sick the past couple of week, I have been very busy. As you all know, spending time with my family is of utmost importance to me, especially since it's been 12 years since I saw most of them last. I'm learning so much about my heritage, history and family than I ever knew before. It is quite an emotional experience which is very important to me.

Also, fpr the past three week, I was attending court (in closed session), but due to the sensitivity of the testimony and safety of the witness, I am unable to discuss my experience.

This past week, I was assigned a new task--Witness Summaries. It is the most tedious but yet most educational task I have ever been assigned since being here. It involves reading the indictment against our client (Morris Kallon who is the second accused in the Revolutionary United Front Trial), reading all the pre-trial briefs, going through transcripts of witness testimony, determining if and how the testimony relates to a charged offense in the indictment, check for inconsistencies during direct and cross examination and then writing a memo/summary about the witness and his/her testimony to the court. This assignment has helped me learn a lot more about the case than I would have otherwise. It is a very important assignment because the attorneys will use it at the end of the trial for closing arguments and may even use it for an appeal if the circumstances so warrant. I feel flattered, humbled and pressured in being entrusted with such an important task. It is by the most legally-based task I have ever been assigned because it requires me to use good legal judgment in determining what's pertinent to a charged offense, how to attack the testimony and whether the witness was helpful or hurtful to our case. I enjoy the work very much. It is a lot of responsiblity, but I relish it.

Last week, I, along with other interns at the Court, were invited to the home of the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone for a luncheon (Mr. Thomas N. Hull). It was a great way to meet people and socilaize a little. He welcomed all of us and ask us to enjoy ourselves. He walked around the room, introduced himself to everyone and will stand and have a five minute conversation with you. I was happy to learn that he had served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone about 38 years ago. He speaks Krio (Sierra Leone's primary language) and so does his wife. He asked me about my work at the Court, law schoool, living in the States compared to living in Sierra Leone etc; he also expressed to me how proud he is that so many Americans come to Sierra Leone to work at the Special Court.

On Thursday, I spent a the afternoon talking to kids at the orphanage about the law and its role in our socieity (I was invited to talk to the kids about law during my last visit). The kids were interested in International Criminal Law, Property, Torts, Criminal Law and Civil Procedure. I explained, in the simplest form, the general concepts of each class and how each is important in today's society. The kids had very interesting and poignant questions which made the experience even more enjoyable and educational for all of us. I will definitely miss these kids but I plan on visiting them again on Monday (it will be very difficult saying goodbye to them). As I indicated in my last blog entry, I look forward to your support in helping these children and so many others just like them in Sierra Leone.

I have a pretty busy week coming up because I will be attending Court again all this week to take notes on a very important witness and help the attorneys prepare for cross examination. I enjoy going to Court and learning the practical part of being an attorney. It is quite interesting and educational.

As many of you know, I have less than two weeks left in Sierra Leone and I plan on enjoying every minute of it with work and spending time with my family and friends. It will be very sad to say goodbye to my family and friends again, but I look forward to seeing and spending time with my family, girlfriend and friends in the states again.

Thank you all very much and I hope to hear from you all soon.

The Pictures include myself, Amb. Hull, Justice Doherty of the Special Court, my grandma (Diaka Waritary), kids from the orphanage (with me in the FSU Law t-shirt) and some friends.

Another Emotional Day

Hello all; Mo here again. How is everyone doing? I hope you are all doing great. As for me, work ane everything else is going great (although hectic and emotional sometimes). I have been going to court everyday the last couple of weeks which has been very educational. Due to the sensitive nature of the testimony and the security of the witness, court has been in closed session; therefore, I cannot discuss anything I saw or heard.

My new assignment is very educational and practical; I get to go to court, listen to testimony, and then draft direct or cross-examination questions for the lead counsel of my defense team (Morris Kallon's Team of the Revolutionary United Front or RUF). I go to court from 9:30am-5:30pm (with breaks), take notes of all the witnesses testimonies, then discuss my observations with the lead counsel. At times we disagree on what questions he should ask, but for the most part, we agree on what he should ask during his cross examination of the prosecution witnesses (prosecution is still presenting its case in the RUF Trials). It is both exciting and flattering to know that some of the question the lead counsel asks during his cross examination of a prosecution witness was drawn up by me.

Also, my knowledge of the Laws of Evidence (Common Law), Public International Law, Human Rights Law and Criminal Law are being tested everyday in court. Everyday, questions and issues relating to these areas of the law are discussed in court. I usually have my outlines in these law classes open on my computer when I take notes (just for reference). The judges and lawyers are quite knowledgeable in these subject which is quite educational. The testimonies can be disturbing, interesting, inciteful and emotional. It is now clear to me that I didn't know as much of the civil war in Sierra Leone as I thought.

The constant battle I face at work is that on one hand, I am spending most of my days working hard in defending the accused persons in this case, while on the other hand, they are accused of doing things that directly affect me so deeply. I came home and learned that some of my childhood friends and extended family members were killed in the civil war. I also learned that my grandma's home in Segbwema (where in grew up as a child) was burnt down by RUF rebels during the civil war. The house had been in my family for generations and my grandma wanted to keep it for future generations, and it's saddens her that she will not be able to do so. I have to explain to her what I do at work which is hard for her to understand given the circumstances. Many have ask the same question--how could you work to defend the very guys who MAY BE responsible for committing atrocities that directly affected you and so many others? I say to them I will feel no better if these men were never tried than I would if their trials were unfair. What I'm doing is ensuring (in my own little way) that justice is done, and it's fair. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so wisely states "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

Whether these men are guilty of the charges against them is a question of law and facts to be determined by the court, but there's no doubt or question that they should receive a fair trial. The rule of law must prevail and it will not if these men do not receive fair trials. Working hard to defend these men is my way of ensuring that the law, of which I am a student, is

Today, Saturday, I had the privilege to spend time with some children (in an orphanage) who lost their parents in the civil war. It was quite an emotional, inspiring, educational and motivating experience. I spoke to each child (some of whom are adults now) about their personal experience of the war and asked them, if they felt comfortable, to tell me how they lost their parents in the civil war. Some didn't want to talk about it which is quite understandable and of the few who spoke about the experience, it was quite emotional for them and myself. It is unimaginable to me to have lost my parents at any age much less at the young age most of these kids lost their parents. Some even witnessed their parents being killed which is dehumanizing to me.

These children need our love and support. There's so many things any and all of us can do to help these children. You can be a pen pal, give clothes, shoes, bags, belts, give money to help send them to school and take care of some of the orphanage's other costs, pray for them and anything else you can do to help them; but among all their needs, the most important and visible to me is that of LOVE. These kids want to feel loved. They want to know the world cares about them and love them and that it's not their fault their parents were killed (some of them feel that way because their parents lost their lives trying to protect them).

The orphanage is called the International Dove and you can learn more of them at www.internationaldove.com and their motto is "today's orphans, tomorrow's leaders". The orphanage's administrators are Mr. Phil Nelson, a Canadian Missionary who sold his farm and home in Canada and moved his family to Sierra Leone to open the orphanage for war orphans and Mr. Daniel a Sierra Leonean (an orphan himself who lost his parents at an early age). These men are two of the most courageous people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life. They love and care for these children so much that they gave up their careers to be with and love the children. On behalf of all Sierra Leoneans and citizens of the world, I thank them very much for their good work and love for the children and may God bless them.

The orphanage provides all of the children's needs including school, food, lodging, clothing, counseling, job training and LOVE. I believe it is good to be rich, better to be powerful, but it's best to be loved. Without love, we are all lost.

All of the children have bright futures; some want to be lawyers, doctors, engineers, soldiers, counselors, teachers, missionaries etc. They are very hopeful of their futures and contributing to society. Some will like to study outside Sierra Leone if possible (if they can be sponsored financially). It was quite an experience talking with and spending time with these kids. At times, I was the one who needed consoling because I was very emotionaal and troubled at some of their stories. At the end of my visit, I thanked them very much for allowing me into their lives and sharing their person and painful stories with me. I now have 20 more brothers and sisters in these children which I'm very excited about.

As I stated when I met the war amputees, what happened to these children is a HUMAN TRAGEDY and it should not happen to any child, anywhere. None of us can change what happened to them, but we can all help make their lives better and contribute towards a brighter future for them. Upon my return to the US, I will be asking you all for your support in this very noble venture. I have no doubt that with your help, we can all show these kids that people care which they need in their lives. I ask you to find it in your heart to give your support, say a prayer and show these children LOVE.

I look forward to your ideas, comments, suggestions and support in this venture. Once again, as always, thank you very much and I hope to see you all soon.

Attached are some pictures of the children during my visit today.

Mo

Amputee Soccer Match

Hello all, Mo here again. I hope everyone is doing fine. As for me, work is hectic, but interesting. I spent the past week in Court (closed session due to the sensitivity of the testimony and the identity of the witness) listening to testimony from a witness. The lead counsel for the defense team I'm now assigned to (Morris Kallon) asked me to attend court, take notes and assist him with questions he can use to cross examine the witness. Due to very strict confidentiality rules, I cannot say anything else about my week in court.

On Friday, I was joined by colleagues from the court at a soccer match by some of the war amputees of Sierra Leone. It was quite an experience to see these men play in person; they are very good soccer players, even with their handicap. I had seen them play on a news story on CNN, but it was quite amazing seeing them play live. With help from my colleagues, I collected donations for them, and they were quite appreciative of our efforts. Some of them expressed to us that many people have come by to see them play and promise to help them, but few have kept their word. I was quite flattered and humbled for their words of appreciation and signs of gratitude to me. I was a humbling experience I will forever cherish.

For those of you who have expressed interest in helping me with my venture of assisting these men and their families, I join them in thanking you from the bottom of my heart. As I indicated, I look forward to your ideas, comments, suggestions, donations and any other form of help you can afford for victims of Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. I know education is of utmost importance to you all as it is to me; for this reason, I know you will assist me in ensuring that these men can put their kids through school and that young minds who hold the future of this country do not go uninspired.

Once again, as always, I thank you all very much for your interest and support in this noble cause.

UN Secretary General's Visit

Hello guys, it's Mo here again. How is everyone doing; I hope great. As for me, work is getting hectic but educational as well.

The past week brought about a roller coaster of emotions for me. My grandma was and is still ill which has been very stressful. Due to her age, any ailment (such as cold, back ache, chest pains etc) can be serious. She's the rock in my life and I love her dearly. Spending time with her is of utmost importance to me and everyday God keeps her with my family is a blessing and I look forward to many more years with her.

To see the daily struggle my immediate family goes through just to eat, pay bills and send my siblings to school is depressing. I help as much as I can (which isn't enough) and it's emotional to realize that I can't solve all the problems I see around me. I see the struggle and suffering in the eyes of people I come across on the street and I wish I can help everyone, but I can't and I hate that about myself. The only way I can gain some solace in the carnage around me is to help those that are less fortunate than myself, and I plan on doing that upon my return to the US.

On another note, the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan paid a visit to the Special Court today. I was very excited to meet him and hear what he had to say about the Court and it's work in International Humanitarian Law. He toured the courtrooms, met with the Court's Registrar, Judges, Prosecutor, Principal Defender and he also toured the detention facility. His entourage was quite large and elaborate. He's very well protected.

I was excited about his trip but not the speech he gave. His speech from a legal stand point was somewhat inappropriate and disappointing. He referred to the accused (defendants) as criminals who killed, raped and amputated civilians, destroyed the economy of Sierra Leone and must now pay for their actions. From a legal stand point, his speech in my opinion, was inappropriate. I believe he should have been advised that the defendants stand accused of those crimes but none has been found guilty. Each accused is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As a career diplomat and the UN Secretary General, he should be mindful of his words and their impact. Colleagues in the Defense Office voiced the same disappointment in his speech, and some even elude to the fact that if the UN Secretary General already believe the accused are all guilty, why have a trial, or would the trials even be fair. His speech assumes each defendant has already been found guilty which is not the case; and to make such a speech in the presence of the judges who are supposed to be impartial arbitrators is even more dissapointing and troubling.

As for work, it continues to be hectic, educational, emotional and rewarding. I continue to learn so much about the law and about myself. The hectic part of my job keeps my mind focused on my tasks, the educational part of my job gets me prepared for a career in this area of the law (human rights and international humanitarian law), the emotional part of my job keeps me grounded and its rewarding because I'm learning a lot about myself.

I live in a city where drinking water is scarce, electricity is almost non-existent, roads are bad, school isn't free to anyone (even grade, middle or high school), jobs are hard to come by and if you can find one, it doesn't pay enough to take care of bare necessities. For example, I haven't had government issued electricity for over a month; I have to buy petrol everyday at over $4 a gallon to run a generato for four hours a night so that I can do some work, charge my phone and use a fan to sleep, but I rather be nowhere else this summer than HOME. More than ever, I appreciate the life of luxury I live in the US and I thank God, my family, the US Government and all those who played a role in giving me that life.

More than ever, I am now sure how I want to use my legal education and the rest of my life to make a difference in the lives of others and in my own little way to society at large. I plan on using my law degree to speak for those that can't speak for themselves and those that can't fight for themselves. As a people, we all belong to one race-- and that's the human race. Human Rights in my opinion is not a government issued right, instead, it is a right from God to all humans which is to be protected and ensured by all governments. I would consider my life a success, if I can make a difference in a child's life and that child can say he/she is a better person because of me; because society will have one more contributing member.

Impunity for human right violation must cease. If the rights of all humans is to be ensured, the right of each human must be ensured. After each genocide or atrocity (WWI, WWII, The Armenian Massacre, Cambodia, Kosovo, Holocaust, Japan, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and now Darfur, just to name a few), the world has said no more; but each time such atrocities and genocide are repeated and often with impunity for the perpetrators. THIS MUST STOP. How many people have to die before the UN or the rest of the world can classify a conflict as genocide or war crimes? One life lost to an atrocity is one too many. The life of none is worth more than that of any, and until all of us recognize this fact, human right abuses will continue around the world.

I ask you all reading this blog to send me your comments, ideas and suggestions about your personal ideas on how the world and its leaders can ensure and protect the human rights of us all. Once again as always, I thank you all for your comments, ideas, support and suggestions and I hope to hear from you all.

Sincerely
Mo

Pictures: Attached are pictures of the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan's visit and a picture of me and a collegue, Selwyn Nicol. As you can tell, it was a hot day today.

hello all

Hello all, Mo again. Let me start off by thanking all those who have shown interest in assisting me in my venture of helping the less fortunate people of Sierra Leone. I appreciate you all very much and I look forward to your ideas, comments and support in the very near future.

I hope everyone is doing just fine. As for me, I have been sick with Malaria the past week. At first, I thought it was a case of food poisoning, but after a few days of feeling weak and a decrease in my apetite, I decided to go to the hospital and get tested. After the test was conducted, I was informed by the doctor that I had contracted Malaria.

He prescribed some medications, advised me to get some rest and to be sure to drink a lot of fluids to combat the dehydration I was already experiencing. After a couple of days, I feel a lot better and I hope to return to work tomorrow (I missed a few days of work last week due to my illness).

I thank you all for your continued help and support and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Mo

An Emotional Day

Hello all, Mo here again. Last week Sunday was one of the most emotional day in my life. I had the privilege and opportunity of spending time with amputees (victims of Sierra Leone's Civil War) at Lumley Beach. It was quite a moving and emotional experience. I asked each of them(although reluctantly) if they could share personal stories of how they lost their leg or arms (or both) in the arms of rebels or other warring factions. For almost two hours, I heard stories of people doing bad things to others. Each story was personal and unique and I will never forget the time I spent with these courageous men, whose only crime in life (if you can call it that) is that they were victims to the brutal war that ravaged Sierra Leone for over 11 yers. The stories made me angry, sad, motivated, and resolute to do something to help their plight. I plan on showing you all the videos and pictures on my return to the US.

I took pictures of and with them, interviewed them, and ask them how I could (even though i'm only one person) help them upon my return to the United States. Many of these men have families that were either lost in the war or that they could no longer take care of because they can't work to earn a living. Even those without disabilities can't find work. Sierra Leone does not provide employment for the disable, therefore, most of these men have to beg for change so that they can eat or feed their children. I spoke to men who can't afford to send their kids to school, can't afford a place to live or basic daily necessities.

More than anything, what these men need is love and support. Remember them in your prayers and I ask each and everyone of you to join me in helping to better the lives of these victims of Sierra Leone's Civil War. I know i'm one person, but it takes one person with an idea to create a cause. More than ever, I believe it is not only my responsibility, but my duty as a native Sierra Leonean and a citizen of the world to give back to those that are so less fortunate than myself. But for God's blessings, the hard work and love of my family, the US Government and all those (including all of you) who played a role (no matter how little or how large it could have been) in helping me become the person I am today, I could have been a victim of the war myself; maybe an amputee or worse. I see myself in each and everyone of them because what happened to them, could have happened to me.

I feel so blessed for the life I have in the US. I feel both fortunate and guilty for the luxurious life I live in the US. With the blessing of having our lives in the US, I believe there are responsibilities, including that of helping those less fortunate than ourselves. I have come across people in Sierra Leone, especially some of the amputees, who have it worse than any of us will probably ever do. As I indicated above, the only thing these victims of the war are guilty of is that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time (most of them were farmers in the provinces) and are from a lesser privileged society than myself and you all.

I plan on establishing a scholarship fund to assist in sending these men and their children to school; and to also provide basic needs for them and their families. I ask and look forward to any ideas that you all have in making this a idea a reality. Also, please save clothes, shoes, books, and other items that you or your family members or friends no longer need or feel free to purchase new items if you can so that we can send it to these men and other less fortunate people. As you all can tell, this is a cause that i'm very passionate about. Although it is a lot to undertake, I have no doubt that with your help, and that of anyone who is willing to listen, we can make it happen.

It hurts me to see kids in the street instead of in classrooms. Ten dollars can send a kid to school for a term (about $30 for a year). I ask each and everyone of you reading this blog to find it in your hearts to join me in this noble cause. As citizens of the world, we owe it to ourselves to make it a better place for generations to come. What happens in Sierra Leone and to these men and other victims of the war is not a Sierra Leonean or African tragedy, simply put, it's a HUMAN TRAGEDY and it should not happen anywhere. None of us can change what happened; but we can all do something to contribute towards the recovery and betterment of the lives of these men and other victims of the war.

It breaks my heart standing next to these courageous men with both my arms and legs while they walk around on crutches playing soccer with a smile on their face. The few times I broke down in tear, they had to console me which was very surreal.

In conclusion, I have no doubt that I will have your support in this very noble cause. I believe it's better to give than to receive, and that those who give without expecting back, are usually those who receive unexpectedly. I ask you all to come join me in making this country a better place (in our own little way) by bettering the lives of those who fell victims to its brutal civil war. I thank you all in advance for your support and I look forward to your ideas, comments and support. May God bless you and your loved ones.

Mo