Alexandria, Virginia — Following is a letter from an Africa News Online reader in response to the February 22, 1999 message from Concord Times editor Kingsley Lington: I noticed your letter on the Africa News Web page and wish to help if I may. I am a retired American engineer who has been shipping computers and parts to Freetown by DHL air delivery services for resale.
I would be willing to provide what The Concord News may need at zero profit, that is just our costs for buying, shipping, and passing through customs there in Freetown. Tell me what you want and I will e-mail you or fax the best prices back to you the same day.
I believe that I can provide better prices than may be found anywhere else. I have been shipping about $30,000 in parts each month to West Africa, but only recently tried to supply Sierra Leone....
Like many Americans I am distressed over the terrible state of affairs there in Sierra Leone. It is unfortunate that we presently have a less than honorable president who is daily driven by political polls rather than a conscience.
Given that there seems to be few if any economic incentives for supporting Sierra Leone, I must also conclude that, in our government in setting aid priorities, other troubled places are probably ahead of Sierra Leone. Further, the USA has had some recent bad experiences in trying to help nations at conflict in Africa.
The lack of a stable local government quickly gives the American people the feeling that any money put in just as quickly evaporates or is carried off by corrupt officials. I am sure much aid could be rallied for Sierra Leone if it could be shown that it would make a positive impact with a realistic hope for a tomorrow.
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I have for years had quite a bit of interest in helping people in West Africa, but have found myself at times quite frustrated by the corrupt and greedy few that make stability and growth impossible for the many. Such people don't limit their scams to westerners for they even rob the few West Africans I know here who have tried to use their savings to help those still back in their home land.
My personal focus is to foster locally funded privatized water supply and purification systems for the rural towns that are seldom reached by governments short on funds or infested with corruption. I say privatized for profit to local investors is critical because that is the only way I find things survive in that environment.
Government and NGO sponsored systems offering "free" water are regularly destined to failure. Where the people are already paying local vendors for impure water from shallow boreholes, off tanker trucks or from plastic bags sold in the street, it is easy to with simple technology to offer pure water at the same price from a system where profits sustain its life.
Sorry about that long sentence. In the interim, while looking for opportunities to help with water, and so as to help people that I meet in West Africa, I ship computer parts to them to resell.
I have found that I can buy them at attractive prices due to the extreme competition in the US that keeps prices low.
- Todd D. Stong PhD, P.E.
