A Cranbrook couple is seeking to continue a life dedicated to overseas humanitarian work, with a mission to Sierra Leone in West Africa. In one area of the country ravaged by war and poverty, work has already begun to provide basic necessities of health — and Petra and Charles Wirrell are looking to turn it into a full-time project as part Global Outreach Mission team.

“My husband and I, with our gifts and talents, and our willingness to live in the bush, plan to be there for two years,” said Petra Wirrell.

Global Outreach Mission is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization doing humanitarian work in developing countries. The Wirrells have been working with the organization for several years. They have a Cranbrook address, but haven’t spent time here recently. They spent the past five years in Guatemala, and are now looking to head to Sierra Leone.

Petra says there are key points to their trip. First is to rebuild a hospital, located in Mokanji province, that was destroyed and looted during Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war in the 1990s.

The team will also be drilling water wells in the area, and in fact were presented this year with a well-drilling rig by a company in New York. Charles Wirrell went to Sierra Leone in February to get the rig out of Customs — “which in a country like Sierra Leone can be an adventure in itself,” Petra said. The rig was transported to Moribatown in Sierra Leone’s southern province, and Charles assisted in drilling the first well near a new school, also built by Global Mission Outreach.

Petra says there is no clean water source in the area. Prior to the completion of the well, the townsfolk got their water either from a pond about a half mile away, or from a shallow hand-dug well susceptible to contamination from polluted surface water or nearby latrines.

This lack of potable water contributes to a high rate of infant mortality — 29 per cent of deaths under five years of age are due to diarrhea.

The wells will be on Global Mission Outreach property, which is therefore public property, Petra says. The water provided will be made available to everyone, regardless of denomination (the local population is comprised mostly of Muslims, but also Christians and animists).

As for the hospital, Petra says it was the leading hospital in Sierra Leone before the war. “During the war, it was destroyed and looted,” she said. “The hospital has since been gifted to Global Mission Outreach by the paramount chiefs in that area.”

Petra will work at the hospital as it progresses from a first aid post to a full-fledged hospital capable of providing surgical care.

With the drilling of the wells comes public health education in water use and hygiene, which the Wirrells will be involved with. “There are customary ways of thinking that often have to be changed,” Petra said.

But she stresses that this work is a partnership with the people who live there. “We’re not going there to bring North American culture … while we have something to offer, they in return have something to offer and to teach.

“We want to work ourselves out of a job, and hand it over. Building friendships is the way to achieve this.”

In Guatemala, Charles worked a Christian Missionary School, as maintenance director and shop teacher. Among other things, he gave instruction in the basic use of power tools. Petra volunteered at a home for the mentally challenged, as well as with medical missions and free care homes. The Wirrells’ children shared the adventures and humanitarian work with them.

They hope to leave for Sierra Leone this fall, but the journey is dependent on arranging finances to meet a required budget. Petra says their mission is at the 65 per cent mark of funds raised. At 80 per cent, Global Mission Outreach will let them go to Sierra Leone. Funds raised are administered by Global Mission Outreach, who will release it to the working teams in monthly allotments.

Those wishing to contribute to the Wirrell’s mission can send funds to Global Mission Outreach, especially earmarked for the Wirrells. The Wirrells have a video presentation of Sierra Leone, introducing the work there, and are happy to share this at any meeting. They can be reached at 250-489-9144. To see more of the previous service in Guatemala, visit their website at www.wirrell.com.