Sierra Leone Story Outline: Part 1

Part 1: From Sacramento to Sierra Leone

• Over 1000 families in California sponsor children in Sierra Leone through non-profit “World Vision” (1,063 in CA, 3772 in US). A good number of those sponsors live in the Sacramento viewing area… and we’re going to introduce a lucky few to their sponsored children through the power of video.
  



• We’ll first shoot a video message from the sponsor to their child… We’ll also talk to the sponsors about how they chose their child… why they chose Sierra Leone… and what they expect to see when we shoot a day-in-the-life of their child.
  



• Then we head to the Bagbo ADP in Sierra Leone to spend some time with the sponsored children. We’ll follow them around to get an idea of their day-to-day life… And we’ll talk to them about daily challenges, their dreams & how their life has been impacted by their sponsor.
  



• We’ll also examine how NGO’s & charities are impacting Sierra Leone.
• Many argue that charity provides a patch and that jobs and infrastructure are necessary for any real impact. By interviewing folks at World Vision, Children of the Nations & Global Witness, we’ll examine how sponsorship programs like this one actually impact the larger communities.

Why are you going to Sierra Leone?

It's a common question these days... so I thought I'd provide a little explanation. Lets start with what we'll be doing there... in later blogs I'll explain, "How we chose Sierra Leone"... and "Why Sierra Leone is significant."

So... Sam (my husband) and I will be traveling first to London to meet with DeBeers (one of the largest diamond companies in the world and the assumed "villain" in the movie "Blood Diamond"). It's important to note that DeBeers does not nor has ever mined in Sierra Leone, but they do have extensive mining operations all over Africa. I'll be interviewing the head of their international relations who is one of the most connected people I've found when it comes to disarmament, diamond exporting, and the general re-building of Sierra Leone. DeBeers now does a lot of work with various governments and NGO's to better the state of the diamond industry in third-world mining countries like (and including) Sierra Leone.

While in London we also plan to meet with Global Witness (an NGO very active in eliminating the existence of conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds")

Then… it’s off to Africa where we'll be flying first from London to Nairobi (the east cost of Africa) in order to connect to our flight back to Sierra Leone on the west coast. After a "really long journey” we’ll hop on the helicopter (which is broken down more than not) and head for Freetown. (P.S. if the helicopter is down, we get an 8-hour ferry ride instead!)

After that... well... it gets a bit sketchy. It is very difficult to plan much ahead of time in Sierra Leone because of the lack of functioning roads. October is the end of the rainy season... so many of the roads will be washed out.

In Freetown we are hoping to meet with various aid organizations, visit the Children of the Nations orphanage/School, meet with one of the few licensed diamond exporters, and get an audience with a high ranking government official (Vice President or First lady).

But the real work will take place outside of Freetown... provided there are roads of some sort. We'll hire a car (likely an old Land Cruiser) and a "fixer" (i.e. a translator/guide) and head to the bush.

We hope to visit the countries largest amputee camp just outside of Freetown. We are also planning to visit World Vision’s Bagbo "area development project" where we will meet with children sponsored by Sacramento folks. We'll introduce the children to their sponsors via video messages that we'll shoot before we leave.

Then it's off to Kono (at least a day’s journey cross country... but maybe more depending on roads). If you saw the movie "Blood Diamond", Kono is the mining district depicted in the movie with vast muddy pits filled with thousands of "diggers" searching for diamonds. While in Kono we obviously plan to spend time with some of the diggers and learn what life is like for them. We are also attempting to track a diamond from the mine through the process of export and back to a store in Sacramento.

The interview I am maybe most looking forward to will take place at a church in Kono. At this church we will meet amputees AND the former rebels responsible for hacking off limbs. They now live and pray together in peace! Can you imagine the amount of forgiveness these people have in their hearts?

So this is the general plan... which I'm sure will be altered dramatically by the time we return home.

In my next blog, I'll give you an outline of the proposed 5-part series I plan to shoot in Sierra Leone.

And in the "How We Chose Sierra Leone" blog, I’ll take a look back at how we got here. The story begins over five years ago... long before I even met my husband. It will explain why Sam is coming with me and how he has been instrumental in this journey.

YourName.com… Innovative or narcissistic?

So my domain & website (juliewatts.net) was a gift in college. I was getting my MA in Online Journalism so it made perfect sense to have a website. When I began applying for my first TV jobs (back in 2003 when personalized sites were rare) it worked as a marketing tool. It also showed I was innovative and set me apart from the flock of graduating broadcast students. Fast-forward six years and yourname.com sites are a dime a dozen. So… what do personalized websites say about you now?

I mentioned my website to a co-worker he other day and she seemed a bit put off by it. She said I didn’t seem “like one of those people.” I mentioned that I thought it was a great job-hunting tool. She pointed out that personal websites might give hiring news directors the impression that you are more about ego than content.

So… I ask you, is a personalized website innovative or egotistical?

The "Convenient" Truth

This is actually something I posted on my website a while back... but decided this was a more appropriate place for it. Enjoy!

Global Warming & Climate Change is a hot topic for those of us in the Broadcast Meteorology business.

There are two distinct Climate Changes camps:
1) Global Warming is a man-made phenomena.
2) Global Climate change is a natural occurrence that has been occuring for millions of years and will continue for millions more.

Most broadcast meteorologists tend to agree with the latter.

The following is an article written by Jeff Haby, one of the most respected minds in Meteorology Education.

Haby manages to remove both sensationalism & apathy from the Global Warming argument. Here you will find a common sense & scientificly sound summery of the Climate Change debate.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

MORE FROM HABY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Labor of Love: www.KCRA.com/kenya

Check it out…
It’s been a labor of love for the past month or so and I'd like to share it with you.
www.KCRA.com/kenya

In an effort to get a local audience to think outside of their zip code, I found a local hook (Micah, a photojournalist & friend) to an international story (ethnic cleansing in Kenya). The trick… creating a broadcast story out of still photos. You can watch the story as it aired on KCRA at the bottom of the web page linked above.

However, broadcast stories are brief and rarely get to the meat of an issue this large… thus the interactive web site. In addition to what aired on KCRA, I used excerpts from Micah’s powerful interview along with his photos to tell a complete story online (finally using that Online Journalism degree!)

I hope the story enlightens you, inspires you or simply makes you think.

Enjoy!
-Julie

(Disclaimer: I am responsible for the content and design... but had help from our amazing web guru Aaron Slavik with the code & flash :)

Published Fog Paper

So... have you ever wondered why we get dense fog one day and not the next? Or why conditions are clear at your house but it's pea soup a few miles away? Well... check out my paper on "how to bust a fog forecast" for the answers to those burning questions and more!

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/074/index.html

How Could You?

I host the "pet of the week" adoption segments at the station and almost every dog I see now is the victim of a foreclosed house. Their family downsizes and they are left behind.

These babies grew up with a family, are well behaved, potty trained, walk on a leash, know tricks... and just don't understand why they went from a home to a cold cement cell. Even more heartbreaking... (and something I'm guilty of) everyone wants to buy designer dogs or adopt puppies... so these poor well-trained babies suffer for months just because of their age... and then are put to sleep!

I beg you... next time a friend or family member is thinking about getting a pet... encourage them to adopt. They may even find the designer dog they are looking for!

Please take a moment to read the story below... if you don't have time, save it for later... you won't be sorry.


A letter from a dog - "How Could You?"

How could you? When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows , I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?"...but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person", still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate . Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch-because your touch was now so infrequent-and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter . It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind-that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief.

As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself-a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place.

From Petplace.com