Gibraltar charity Action4Schools backs drug recovery efforts in Sierra Leone

Christian missionaries Joe and Sarah Boxall visited Gibraltar recently to meet up with the founder of Action4Schools, Jimmy Bruzon, whom they have been in contact with and been supported by for a number of years.

The couple founded and run the Spark2Action charity in Sierra Leone, working with vulnerable people through their drugs rehabilitation project.

At present, Action4Schools and Spark2Action are working on a football arena that will also support other sports such as basketball and netball.

It was the first time the couple had been to Gibraltar and met Mr Bruzon, a meeting that was due to the ‘Jimmy effect’, the tireless work of Mr Bruzon and the charity Action4Schools, whose support has been instrumental in a range of initiatives.

“We’ve been working together for a few years, so it was time to meet in person,” said Mr Boxall.

One of the most urgent issues facing Sierra Leone is the spread of a powerful and highly addictive drug known as Kush.

“It’s a chemical composition of fentanyl and whatever else that they want to throw in this mixture,” said Mr Boxall.

“It costs about 20 pence a hit, and unfortunately, they spray it on leaves.”

“A lot of the youth in Sierra Leone just mistook it for cannabis… Over the last past seven years, this thing was growing and growing almost underground.”

The consequences have been devastating.

“It’s absolutely decimating the youth population, because there’s about 60% unemployment, loads of poverty in the youth,” he said.

“And of course, they’ve got nothing to do. And so this thing is almost like a crack or heroin here.”

“It’s that strong. And so, for 20p, they’re just in the clouds for about five hours.”

The addiction crisis has led to a national emergency, with young people “selling everything in their house, stealing off their parents, and they’re out on the street begging.”

The government has responded by opening two rehabilitation centres, but the need far outstrips capacity.

“They’ve only been able to see 500 young people in the last 18 months through the rehab, which is a good start, but you’ve got tens of thousands. There’s 2,000 people on their waiting list now,” said Mr Boxall.

In a bid to help, the couple introduced a 12-step recovery programme into the area.

“Jimmy and Action for Schools supported us while we were getting that up and running,” said Mr Boxall.

“We’ve got 45 recovery groups around Freetown.”

Gibraltar’s help extends beyond addiction recovery.

Action4Schools has played a vital role in providing clean water to communities in need.

“We’ve been building some schools over the last few years, and Jimmy, and Action4Schools, have put wells in next to those schools that we’ve been building. So that has been a massive help,” said Mr Boxall.

One particularly memorable project was at St Clements.

“The school had about 1,000 kids… and there was an old bit of infrastructure put in by the UN… but the area had had so many boreholes put in, it dried up all the aquifers,” he said.

“So Action4Schools came in and paid for a big machine to come in to dig a super-deep well, and we put a new pump in it, and it supplied a community of about 5,000 people.”

Looking ahead, both charities are hoping for Gibraltar’s support in helping to build a new sports complex that will serve thousands of children.

“If you want to put a smile on the dial of about 3,000 children regularly, we need about £120,000 to build a new football pitch for a community that serves about three or four schools and it will last for many, many years,” said Mr Boxall.

The pitch, cut into the side of a mountain, will include a full-size football field, a basketball court, and seating areas.

“Football’s life… that is how the kids get their enjoyment. And we want to kind of put in a really nice place for them to play.”

In his appeal for donations, Mr Boxall said: “Where people may think that they do small things, you know, they’re big things to other people.”

“It impacts so much and changes the world around us, because there’s so much poverty, so much opportunity as well, to do things with people and to give people an opportunity, where the kids can go and play football after school, or, you know, get help when they need it. It’s just amazing.”

“And for us to have been a part of that, it’s been wonderful.”

To support Spark2Action go to www.spark2action.org
To support Action4Achools, go to visit www.action4schools.gi or contact 57631000 via WhatsApp.
Donations can be made to:
Action4schools-Sierra Leone
NatWest Bank
Account No. 48084352
Sort Code 60-60-60