After some 5000 miles’ journey with the five Mitsubishi L200 vehicles rolling by road from the United Kingdom to Sierra Leone, the Hull Freedom Trail team finally arrived in Freetown on Friday.
The team, made up of ten women and 14 men, which left the United Kingdom on October 21 was welcomed by Mayor Winstanley Bankole Johnson of the Freetown City at his office.
Jonathan Richards, head of the delegation, said it took them three weeks traveling from the United Kingdom to Sierra Leone, adding that it was not an educative journey.
He added that their purpose for being in Sierra Leone “is to deliver the five Mitsubishi L200 vehicles which were driven from the Hull Freedom Trial in the United Kingdom to Freetown”.
The head of the team noted that, “this is aiming at two things: to deliver the vehicles safely to agencies dealing with children and to make a television documentary about it”.
During their stay, he said, the team would visit Help A Needy Child (HANCI), AMNET, PRIND and St George’s Foundation and other organizations which are beneficiaries of the vehicles.
Jonathan Richards disclosed that they also came with five Rotary shelter boxes for children, five boxes of spare parts for the cars so that they (beneficiary organizations) would not spend money on buying spare parts.
He disclosed that the team would leave November 23. In welcoming the team, the Mayor told them that he was very happy to receive the team from their safe journey.
He informed them that the five vehicles would be distributed to the agencies fighting against human trafficking and violation of children’s rights.
Mayor Winstanley Bankole Johnson also thanked the people of the United Kingdom for the interest they had in Sierra Leone.
Speaking in anxiety the operations director of HANCI, Kelfa Kargbo who got two vehicles, said his organization was one that dealt with orphans, children especially girl child most who suffered during the war.
He added that HANCI had been engaged in training street and war affected children into vocational trainings and other school and learning activities.
He thanked the team for their concern and the donations, and assured them that the vehicles would be used appropriately.
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