As part of its 22nd anniversary, the Love One Another Campaign (LOAC) on Saturday 12th December 2020 ended a three-day seminar for pupils and teachers of various primary and secondary schools in the Western Area at the Council of Churches Hall (CCSL) on King Harman Road in Freetown.
Some of the beneficiary schools were the Government Independence Memorial Secondary, Saint Helena Secondary, Services, Albert Academy, Government Rokel, Vine Memorial and E.B. Williams Schools.
Other schools were Excel International for Girls, Palace of Wisdom, Government Technical and Providence Schools. 10 pupils were selected from each school plus a teacher.
LOAC has now trained over 300 pupils in various seminars and sensitization campaigns organized.
21 years ago, the organisation launched the book titled ‘A Call to Love.’
During the 3-day seminars, presentations were made by various dignitaries including Rev. Mrs. Valerie Bell who revealed that God is helping them to help others and went on to appeal to the pupils that if they work hard the sky would be their limit.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LOAC, Dr. Christian Bell disclosed that LOAC demonstrates love in action, talks about the daily realities of life, admonished the pupils to be studious and disciplined, warned them to desist from violence and mischief stressing that it is very difficult now to get funds due to the global corona virus pandemic and appealed to them to make good use of the opportunity by disseminating the LOAC messages to their schools, churches/mosques, families and communities reiterating that thousands of other children are yearning for the opportunity.
According to Dr. Bell, love is the solution to Sierra Leone’s problem, that there is no agape love in the world, recalled that he had the dream to form the foundation from Isaiah Chapter 3 verse 11 to talk to his compatriots in exile in their own country irrespective of whether they listen or not and recalled that he had a vision for Sierra Leone, that God is faithful as while he was in Sierra Leone God took care of his three children in Germany who are all medical specialists in various fields underscoring that love is important for national development and that love is the foundation for prosperity.
On the vision of LOAC, Agape Love, How and Why Should Sierra Leoneans Love and the Importance of Love in National Development, Dr. Bell revealed that since the foundation of the LOAC in Sierra Leone in 1998 at the British Council Hall, Tower Hill in Freetown, they have distributed over 50,000 LOAC stickers printed in Germany adding that prayers, advocacy and projects are their three main pillars reiterating that there is no love in Sierra Leone but exploitation and appealed to youths to take the message to other communities.
The CEO of LOAC went on to define love as offering unconditional and selfless service to others and not expecting anything in return, that love is to improve one’s social services underscoring that love is very important in national development but lamented that after almost 60 years of independence, Sierra Leone is still underdeveloped, affirmed that love is the first step to prosperity and that love brings sustainable peace and security.
According to Dr. Bell, love would minimize corruption as well as enhance amicable working relations
and prayed for youths to gain consciousness so that politicians would not misuse them during elections and continued that in the absence of love, evil, hate speech, violence and exploitation thrives pointing out that the increase in rape, sexual violence and penetration cases are all due to the absence of love asserting that LOAC is demonstrating love by providing some of the physical needs of the people with the construction of schools, technical/vocational centers, hospitals/clinics, provision of water supply facilities and recalled that the LOAC was the first NGO to go to Kono District after the civil war.
Addressing the pupils, Rev. Peter Mansaray talked on the mission statement of the LOAC which is to influence the Sierra Leonean society to inculcate the attitude of love by introducing, disseminating and promoting godly principles, practices and precepts so that by so doing, Sierra Leoneans everywhere and at all levels are given the opportunity to clearly visualize their common identity and origin.
Rev. Peter Mansaray further dilated on the mission statement, aims and objectives of the LOAC which are to influence the Sierra Leonean society to inculcate the attitude of love by introducing, disseminating and promoting godly principles, practices and precepts so that by so doing, Sierra Leoneans everywhere and at all levels are given the opportunity to clearly visualize their common identity and origin for God himself in whose image man was created thus encouraging them to love one another in order to achieve sustainable peace.
He added that LOAC is demonstrating love with the construction of schools, technical/vocational centres and clinics as well as provision of water supply facilities in various communities nationwide.
The expected outcome of the seminar is for participants to become competent and have confidence to disseminate the Love One Another Campaign Messages in their various schools churches/mosques, families and communities.
Other dignitaries who made presentations at the seminar included Mr. Ranford Wright of the Believers Broadcasting Network, Rev. Dr. Lionel Betts and Mr. George Williams, Coordinator of LOAC.
Highlights of the 3-day seminar were the praise and worship, offering of prayers and distribution of leaflets, stickers and other information materials as well as the question and answer sessions.
Most of the children interviewed commended the organisation for the laudable initiative which they pledged they would take to their schools, churches/mosques, families and communities for the benefit of the country while some of the pupils and teachers appealed to LOAC to construct billboards of love messages in their school compounds.
Other activities lined up for the 22nd year celebration are a visit to the King Georges Old Peoples Home at Grafton, a party to be organized for Ebola orphans and a thanksgiving service at the CCSL Hall.
