CARE - Virtual Field Trip - Sierra Leone 2006

Home :: Who's Who :: Reflection - Caroline Howe

Caroline Howe

Caroline Howe was, during this trip, a junior Environmental Engineering major from Durham, Connecticut, where she grew up passionate about the environment and agriculture. She worked passionately on renewable energy and climate activism on a campus, state, and national level. While in Montreal at the recent UN Climate Negotiations, she became particularly focused on encouraging sustainable energy practices in the developing world and overall sustainable development.

Though much of my trip impressed, shocked, thrilled, and saddened me, the highlight was without question the night we spent in Dogoloya, a small cattle-farming village. In our conversations with these villagers, particularly with the family that I stayed with, it became so clear how much hope Sierra Leoneans have for the future. The country has been able to move beyond a state of war, or even a state of recovery from war, and are looking towards the future. In particular, I was amazed at how far the status of women had come in many areas, and how energetic, lively, beautiful, and passionate the elder women were. In Dogoloya, in particular, it was clear that CARE's work with community members had allowed women to be seen as leaders, and allowed everyone to listen to and ask for their opinions.

One of the most interesting part of CARE's work in Dogoloya, in my opinion, was the resource map of past, present, and future social, environmental, and physical resources that CARE workers encouraged community members to create. The map for the future was filled with projects the community was beginning: latrines at every house, more wells, etc. And yet, for a community that was 100 % Muslim, they had included in their map of the future, a church -- in order to encourage people from throughout Sierra Leone, whatever their religious persuasion, to feel comfortable to move to Dogoloya. Something about that hope and openness really was incredible.

Our trip to Sierra Leone was incredibly eye-opening and horizon expanding in every way. It did affect my plans for the future, by showing me that development work would be an amazing life path. I had considered this before, but primarily from a perspective of energy or water quality (which are the subjects I'm studying at school). Being there allowed me to realize that a holistic view of development, and CARE's rights-based approach, does make a lot of sense as a way to ensure that development is sustainable beyond the lifetime of individuals or an NGO's presence.

[ back to top ]