Partnership between Warwick district and Bo in Sierra Leone to host talk in Leamington

The partnership between Warwick district and Bo in Sierra Leone will host a talk in Leamington given by a university professor who was once a nurse in the African country.

One World Link (OWL), established for 42 years, has run programmes for the mutual benefit of both communities based on friendship and mutual respect.

It has helped to manage waste management, school exchanges, health dialogue, planning and more.

Despite the civil war in Sierra Leone, an outbreak of Ebola and, more recently the Covid Pandemic, the happy co-operation between the partners has kept going.

One of the early founders of OWL, Doctor Paul Gully went to live in Canada and rose to a senior government position in charge of community Health.

He worked closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) over many years and when Ebola struck in Sierra Leone he went out as part of the WHO team to help the government .

Throughout he kept in touch with OWL and advised some of its Sierra Leone partners on how to protect their communities.

Recently OWL was contacted by a colleague of Doctor Gully, Doctor Nancy Edwards.

Doctor Edwards is the author of ‘Not One, Not Even One’, a memoir about her time as a nurse in Sierra Leone. She is visiting the UK and Dr. Gully suggested she should contact OWL during her visit.

She is Emeritus Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

Through Doctor Gully and contacts in Bo, Doctor Edwards heard about the work of OWL and offered to talk to its members about her experience of nursing in Sierra Leone and some of the wider aspects of global health when she visits the UK.

The talk will take place at OWL’s meeting at St Paul’s church in Leamington on Friday October 20 from 7pm.

Food and drink will be available at the start of the evening.

For more information about OWL, including how to become a member, visit https://oneworldlink.org.uk/