It is with heavy heart that we send out this appeal to you.

No doubt most if not all of you would have heard about, read or seen on TV or social media the disaster which happened in Sierra Leone on Monday 14th August 2017. Recent rains in Freetown and its environs have caused severe flooding in Freetown and a mudslide in a hilly area called Regent area. This left more than 3,000 homeless and in need of basic assistance such as food, shelter and psychosocial support; in addition, the mudslide has left over 499 dead, including many children. In some cases whole families were swept away. Hundreds more remain missing and though the search is ongoing, relatives are losing hope that their loved ones will be found alive.

Fortunately, none of us lost relatives but our hearts are bleeding for those who died and those who have lost family members. Though we are not directly affected, we believe that we will be failing our country and fellow citizen who are hit by this tragedy. We are in the process of planning how we can assist and would appeal to you to join us by contributing to a Fund. We have identified reliable and trust-worthy organisations - the Red Cross & MSF currently on the ground to whom the contributions will be sent to and who will ensure the assistance we provide reach the right people.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email and for supporting us in housing our homeless compatriots and addressing some of their needs.

Regards,

Colleagues from Sierra Leone.