Ambassador Brewer Farewell Script
Kushɛ-o, una all mi Salone padi and fambul dem! I am U.S. Ambassador Maria Brewer. For the past three and one half years, it has been my honor to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone.
We have witnessed important progress in that time. In 2018, we saw the peaceful transfer of power, a testament to the strength of Sierra Leone’s democracy, and the resilience of her people.
I am especially proud of the work of the U.S. Embassy did to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections, from monitoring and observation, to training women aspirants, and working with civil society and the security sector to keep the peace.
Several weeks ago, Sierra Leone was selected for a multimillion-dollar Millennium Challenge Corporation program. This was due to impressive progress in many areas: reducing corruption, encouraging economic freedom, and investing in people. Sierra Leone’s efforts in the fight against trafficking in persons, and success on the threshold grant, made this achievement possible.
I am also proud of our work assisting Salone to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. For many years, the U.S. has helped strengthen the public health sector. We are proud to support a Sierra Leonean-led response with medical equipment and supplies, along with training and expert assistance. While the crisis is not over, the American people will continue to work with you to fight this deadly virus.
On personal note, I want to say thank you for your warm welcome of me and my family. The kindness and hospitality of the Sierra Leonean people is remarkable.
Dem kin say: we wae kam, na we dae go.
So tem don rich, foh mek ah lef una.
Bai God in pawa, somtem we go see bye an bye,
so ah lef una, na God in hand.
Tenki!
