Jovana Ostojic recently returned to San Diego to graduate with the rest of her class after doing an internship with International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague, Netherlands. Then, a few days later, it was off to Sierra Leone for another internship with the Special Court of Sierra Leone! 

We will post her emails here, but first -- exciting news!!!!

Jovana and her fiance Alex Paredes got married in Freetown on the 4th of July.

Congratulations from everyone at TJSL!

The Newlyweds

 

Jovana with her friend Aisha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 3, 2008

Hello everyone!

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days of my whole life. We arrainged to take most of the kids from Freetown Cheshire Home for disabled children (some have physical disabilities, others have mental disabilities) to go to the beach. Despite living so close to the most incredible beaches I've ever seen, most of the kids and adults have never been to the beach.

On the drive to the beach, all the kids were just singing and laughing - they were so excited! After they arrived, they didn't want to go anywhere near the water - they were terrified! Slowly, we were able to coax them one by one into the water - just to at least get their toes wet! When they saw that there was nothing to fear, they all came in and splashed around. Some of the children who could walk/stand slowly came in to where the water reached their stomachs and jumped in the waves with us. There was so much laughing, singing, giggling, and energy. When it was time to get out of the water and eat snacks, most of the kids didn't want to go :-)

Anyway, the pictures speak more than anything I could write, so I won't say anything else other than it was just a spectacular day, and I am so blessed to have been a part of it. The photos will be sent in another email, to follow shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love,

Jovana

--
Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

 

October 23, 2008

Hi Everyone!

The last email that I wrote got quite a big response from everyone - many of you were outraged at what's been going on. It means so much to me to hear from you and to have your support.

Proudly, I can report that last Friday, Marie and Kadi were moved to Leonard Cheshire Home.

The smiles on their faces spoke louder than any words. They were so excited to have their own beds and their own things (we bought them all new things for their new lives). The only thing we weren't planning on buying was a new wheelchair for Marie since she had one already. Can you believe that The Horrible (she is the one with the horrible wig in the red and white dress) didn't even give Marie her wheelchair for the new orphanage??? Anyway, that's been taken care of now, and the girls are adjusting to their better lives.

I'll be visiting them again this weekend. Thank you to everyone who has donated to us. Without the funds we would not have been able to pay for the costs of the boarding school (about $100/year per child) and their new things. You are all such a big part of what we've managed to achieve, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
--
Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

October 7, 2008 

 Hello everyone!

This is not going to be the usual update - so much has happened in the past few weeks. Life has felt surreal, and I don't know if it's a nightmare. If it is, I hope that I wake up soon because I am losing faith in humanity.

Before I continue, these are the key members of our team: Mo, a lady from the Court; Dylan, a fellow intern from TJSL; Barbara, a German lady who works for a different organization; and lastly, Abu, a local intern and a friend. He works at the court with the rest of us. There are others, but these four are the most active and dedicated people I have ever met.

On September 18, I went to the Leonard Cheshire Home for Disabled Children (LCH) and sought admission for Marie and Kadi (the girls with polio). I explained what the conditions are at the orphanage and how the girls struggle to move around. LCH said that they would be happy to accept the girls, and they wrote me a formal acceptance letter. LCH is beautiful. The rooms are welcoming, painted pink and purple for the girls with hearts and butterflies painted as well. It is clean, and each child has their own bed. There are several trained staff members who are warm and caring. There are indoor hygiene facilities which cater to the handicapped. The children attend school, and in addition, they have skills training where they learn how to use computers, how to sew, and how to make really cool shoes! Marie was overwhelmed and overjoyed when they told her that she would be welcome there. Her smile, the way her eyes sparkled, the joy that she felt was overwhelming. She told me that she no longer had to cry - like she does every day. She felt like she could finally look forward to her future.

Friday, September 19

I received a phone call from Barbara, and she said that someone from the Ministry of Employment, Dr. Bangura, had gone to the Ministry of Social Welfare to seek permission to move Marie and Kadi. While he was there, the Honourable Marie Yansaneh (or Horrible, as we now call her) showed up. After some coaxing, she finally agreed to give her permission for the two girls to go to the new orphanage.

That same evening, Mo and I arranged for transportation so that we could help the girls move. When we arrived to the orphanage at 6.45 in the evening, the Horrible came down the stairs, yelling. She said that we have no right to move the kids and that she had spent a lot of time with them, and took them to Guinea during the war. Here is a part of Alex's police report where he stated what happened next:

"I arrived home from the Special Court for Sierra Leone (hereinafter SCSL) at around 20:20 hours. In between 20:30 and 20:45, my wife arrived home crying and in panic. She told me that when she arrived at the CFR orphanage to take the 2 sick girls, the lady in charge of the CFR orphanage refused to allow the 2 sick girls to be moved to the LCH orphanage. Meanwhile, the kids at the orphanage (including the 2 sick girls) showed fear about the lady, by standing behind my wife. Specifically, one of the 2 sick girls (who cannot walk, but only crawl) had her arms around my wife. Subsequently, the lady running the CFR orphanage called the Sierra Leone police, who came with machine guns and entered the CFR orphanage building. The police asked my wife to leave the CFR orphanage but my wife refused as she feared for the fate of the orphans if she left the place. Afterwards, one of the police men took the sick girl who had her arms around my wife and, by force, threw her in the floor. Then, the lady running the CFR orphanage started beating the sick girl in the floor. After that, some shouting occurred between the lady running the CFR orphanage and my wife, and my wife left the CFR orphanage, without the 2 sick girls."

Saturday, September 20

Our plan was that we would return on the following day with some people from other Ministries, local people, who have more political power than the Horrible. These local people would speak with her and hopefully talk some sense into her. Unfortunately, before those people arrived, the Horrible walked past us and freaked out. Here is some more from Alex's police report about what happened next:

"On 20 September 2008, at about 9:30 hours, Dylan, my wife and I were standing at Jomo Kenyatta Road, waiting for my wife's friend.

After an hour being on the hill waiting for my wife's friend, we saw the lady in charge of the CFR orphanage going down the hill, with a group of 4 or 5 men. She did not say anything to us, but I could hear her talking to the men she was going with, about us. Although I did not understand the language she was using, I was able to hear from her mouth: "white men", and "human traffickers".

Around 11:00 hours, the lady running the CFR orphanage came back to the place where Dylan, my wife and I were standing. She came in a car with 3 Sierra Leone Police officers. The occupants got off the car, the police men approached, and one of them asked us the reason why we were there. We told the police officer that we were waiting for friends of ours to come. Simultaneously, the lady running the CFR orphanage was talking very loud. However, this time I had no doubts that the lady running the CFR orphanage was calling Dylan, my wife and I "human traffickers", while a crowd of people was gathering around us. At the same time, the same police officer told us: "I am inviting you to the police station". At that time, Dylan, my wife and I identified ourselves with our SCSL badges as workers of the SCSL, and kindly explained the police officer that we have diplomatic immunity, so we cannot be taken to the police station. That police officer took our names in a piece of paper, while we were explaining him that "we are here to talk and cooperate". Simultaneously, the lady running the CFR orphanage continued yelling and telling to the crowd that we were human traffickers.

At that point in time, I feared for our lives and well being of our persons, so we decided to call SCSL Security. Fortunately, a SCSL car with two SCSL security officers came after 10 minutes of calling. Then, we explained the SCSL security officers the facts of the situation and they gave us comfort, transmitting us assurance that we would be safe. At that time, it seemed that we were going to go to the Sierra Leone Police station, accompanied by the SCSL security officers and one Sierra Leone Police person. However, once the 6 of us were inside the SCSL car, one of the two SCSL security officers told the one Sierra Leone Police person to get off the car as he was going to take Dylan, my wife and I inside the premises of the SCSL."

Monday, September 22

Kadi, the other girl with polio called me and put me on the phone with a lady who introduced herself as Kadi's mother. Apparently, there had been a British NGO paying for Kadi's medical treatment from birth. When the NGO went out of business when Kadi was 6, her mother could no longer afford to take care of her. She was told that many international people visit the Christian Faith Rescue Orphanage, and adopt children to take them to the US, Europe, etc. Fearing that she had no other choice, Kadi's mother gave her daughter to the Horrible. After the events on Friday, Kadi called her mother and asked her to come from up-country and help her. She did, and after meeting with us, she decided to withdraw Kadi from the orphanage.

At 8 pm that night, Kadi and her mother called me, laughing. They were so happy to be together.

The next morning, we found out that the Horrible had sent police to arrest both Kadi and her mother for human trafficking as well at 10.30 pm.

Tuesday, September 23

We bailed out Kadi and her mother. The police insisted on taking my statement on what happened - since the Horrible kept telling them that I was trying to steal children. When the police arrived, I showed them photos of the orphanage. After seeing the photos, they understood why I was trying to move the kids, and since then all human trafficking charges have been dropped against me. Instead, many people are now referring to me as a "humanitarian." I cannot tell you how many local people have thanked me for not giving up, for not being scared of the Horrible, and for not allowing her to bully me. My response is that those children need someone to stand up for them. They need someone who is not corrupt, someone who truly has their best interest at heart. And since it seems that no one else is willing to do that, I will do it - with the help of our amazing team!

Saturday, September 27

Barbara and I were shopping in town for the children. We were preparing so that when Kadi and Marie are given permission to be moved, they will have all of their new things for the LCH. As we were shopping, we found a pharmacy in town selling mosquito nets which were donated by the Canadian Government. The nets are supposed to be free, but they were charging people for them. Barbara started telling the pharmacist how this just encourages corruption and how its wrong of him to contribute to the demise of his country. After we left, we were approached by someone who I recognized. It was the man who made the film "Cry Freetown" named Sorious Samora. He is the Sierra Leonean version of Michael Moore and he now works for the BBC.

Amazingly, he happened to be at the same pharmacy as Barbara and myself and he witnessed what she had said. Imagine our joy when he told us that he is here with the BBC to film a documentary on corruption. When we told him about the Horrible - how she is a member of Parliament here, how she mistreats the kids, how she steals food from the World Food Programme, how she steals donations from the children, etc Sorious was very interested in the story.

We were invited to meet with him, the producer, and the director that night. After telling them the whole story and showing them photos, they decided that they wanted to feature the orphanage in their story.

They filmed there last week and the story should air on BBC World News sometime in late November or early December.

Since then

Now our mission has expanded to find homes for all of the kids, not just the two girls. So far, we have found placement for 36 of the 43 children.

This battle has been taken to the local press as well. I've attached the 4 articles that have appeared in so far. Sierra Leonean journalism is not the most accurate - what I have told you in this email is the truth.

Click to see the articles

Up next is a meeting at the ministry of social welfare again, tomorrow. This time, we are not leaving without permission in writing to move the two girls. Abu has recruited a team of 6 lawyers to come with us who are willing to represent the interests of the kids. We're not letting the kids down. They all deserve so much better, and we won't let the Horrible continue mistreating them.

So that's it for now. I'll make sure to let you know what happens! We've been so busy with this - I hope you forgive me for not writing for so long!!! We welcome any comments/suggestions/words of wisdom.

Many times I have found myself wanting to quit, to give up because its so difficult - especially since the children show up at the court to show me how they are being whipped and beaten on their faces because they say something negative about where they currently live. It is the most heartbreaking thing to know that these kids are risking their lives to come and visit us at the court, and that to them, 5 minutes with us is worth the intense beatings they will face at home.

I've attached a photo of the kids from the BBQ we had for them last month. Its the last photo that I took of them where they look happy. I hope that eventually I will be able to photograph them again with genuine smiles.

 

Love,

Jovana

--
Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

--Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

September 3, 2008

Dear Friends,

It was really nice to hear from all of you. We really look forward to getting YOUR updates, and knowing what's going on in your lives! And I'm especially happy to hear that some of you are happy in love; others have their health; and others still are making big decisions what to do in life. Alex and I are doing really well. Sunday has become our official "date day" and we watch movies and just hang out with each other. Since something is constantly going on here - work is insane, our house is flooded, the electricity is frying our electronic equipment, our caretaker has a hernia... the list goes on; we are not able to spend quality time together. But Sunday... well, that's the day that we just isolate ourselves from anything else that's going on and focus on each other. So far, its been wonderful and brought us even closer together.

Alex and I are actively looking for jobs all over the world. We're just applying to anything we can find - if you know of any opportunities for two young lawyers and can help us out we would be so grateful.

There are two new things about the orphanage! First, this Saturday, we are throwing a surprise BBQ at the orphanage for the kids. Our landlord is loaning us his chef who is preparing an entire goat and 6 chickens! The kids rarely eat anything other than rice, so we thought that this would be a nice treat for them. Yesterday we bought plantain chips, cokes, and cookies for them. And we've invited a lot of people we work with to come to the BBQ as well. The kids just love spending time with us, so they will really appreciate all the attention!

Another reason for inviting people from the court is because we're planning

Orphanage

on doing a sponsor-an-orphan event. Dylan (another intern here, from my law school - and a BIG help in everything orphanage related) and I are going to the orphanage tomorrow to take pictures of each child. We'll print the photos and put the name and age of each child on the photo. Our landlord is having a party at his house on Friday and he thinks that if we bring these photos to his house, there will be many people who would be willing sponsor one (or more) orphan and buy the things that that child needs. Hopefully we can find 58 sponsors. This way, we completely bypass the "honourable" and give the kids what they need without her having the ability to take it away from them/sell it/give it away, etc.

Interior of Orphanage

I've finally thought of a way that you can help. If you would like to sponsor a child, you can just email me and let me know. I am happy to send you info on "your" child, and I will go buy whatever they need here. We can figure out a way to get your donation to my US bank account since I would spend whatever money you want to donate from my cash reserves here (there are no banks/atms!!) I think that this is the best way to help, since you can be sure that 100% of your money is directly helping a particular person. And for as long as I'm here, I can tell you how your orphan is doing. I'll continue to visit them several times per week.

Things at the new house are going well. Dylan is my partner-in-giving-money-away and we have each decided to set aside $100/month that we can donate how we please. This month, we paid for our caretaker/guard's kids' school fees for the year. We also decided to pay for a 50 KG bag of rice each month for them, since its about 75% of their salary just for that bag of rice (its $40 for that bag). Yesterday when I gave it to them, their eyes filled up with tears and they could hardly believe that someone cares about them.

The situation here makes me so angry. And people are so grateful for any help! Today I was with the orphans and they were praising the "honourable" because she gives them a place to sleep! I was fighting back tears of hatred/anger/disbelief when I heard them saying these things about her. The same thing goes for our guard/caretaker. Its as if no one has ever cared about these people before. I am just lost, my brain can't comprehend why other people who employed them in the past didn't do the same! I mean, $40 is a trip to the movies for us back home or here its food for a family for an entire month. Don't others see that? Don't others see how they can change lives here? Do they even care? Here white people live in palatial houses, we never have to worry about getting food each day - and yet Francis, our caretaker, had to decide between getting an essential hernia operation this month or eating for the next two months. No one should have to be faced with that decision, and as long as I can help, I will. And when I run out of ideas or resources I hope that you will help me help them. I'm trying to think of ways to describe what we're seeing on a daily basis, but there are no words. But Sierra Leonians have this special energy, and when they look at you, and you see their eyes and bright smiles - you know that there's nothing like it in the world.

Anyway, I'll certainly send some pictures from the BBQ with the next email update. In the meantime, I'm attaching some (not so good) photos of the orphanage. Please let me know soon if you want to sponsor a child, and I can send you their info.

We eagerly await your replies!

Love from Africa,

Jovana and Alex

Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

August 13, 2008 

 Hi Everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since the last email - so many things have happened since our wedding! First, I went away to Croatia for two weeks, it was so amazing to reconnect with the people who have been in my life since birth, but whom I haven't seen in 8 years. We had a bit of a reunion, even my mom came from AZ! I had such a nice time with everyone, and I promised myself that I will not let another 8 years go by without seeing them.

Coming back to Freetown was amazingly stressful. I arrived on a Friday night and then spent the weekend moving to a new house. Our new house is much, much better than our old house, but now we are the "landlords" and we have to solve every problem that comes up. And lately there have been a lot of issues! From flooding to electrocutions, each and every day brings some new problem. We joke around with others here, and we came up with a motto for Freetown: "Welcome to Freetown, where adventure finds you whether you like it or not!" I must admit that I have really struggled since coming back from Croatia. It seems like the first time you come here everything is new and different. But then when you go back to the First World and see all of the things you're missing, coming back is truly difficult. Alex and I just feel so blessed to have each other for support. I can't imagine doing this without him.

On the work front, things are going well. I was promoted from an unpaid intern to a legal officer contractor (the same position as Alex). Unfortunately, contract positions do not pay well but every bit helps. We have been so busy at the court - staying until 11 at night and working through the weekends. We went for two weeks without a break, but last Sunday we spent most of the day in bed watching Season 1 of The Sopranos and just hanging out with each other. This sounds so sad but it was one of the best days of our married life (haha, I'm joking, every day is amazing!)!!!

There have also been so many new developments with the orphanage. And to those of you who want to help, I haven't forgotten about it! I just want to make sure that your money actually goes to help the kids, not line the pockets of greedy administrators. Here's what's been happening: A lady I work with, Mo, had a room available in her house to rent. A lady, Barbara, came to look at it. Barbara works with the German Technical Assistance here in SL and when Mo told her about the orphanage I volunteer at, Barbara wanted to see it and see if she can get the kids help. We all went together one afternoon and when they saw the conditions that the kids live in, they were appalled. We saw a little girl, Kadi, whose foot was swollen to the size of a football. We immediately took her to the hospital and had her admitted - and not a moment too soon. Had the infection been ignored any longer they would have had to amputate her foot or she could have possibly died. The old lady "Honorable Reverend Marie" who runs the orphanage met us at the hospital and said that she was waiting for the infection to pop on its own, and that she didn't think Kadi needed medical help. Kadi spent 7 days in the hospital on intravenous antibiotics. What do you think, did she need medical attention?!?!?!

Barbara said that the conditions at the orphanage are so bad that they don't even meet Sierra Leonian standards of what it should be. She brought in some people from Children's NGO's, social workers, and even the minister responsible for orphanages in Freetown, and then information about "Honorable Reverend Marie" started to surface. For example, not all the children are orphans. She travels to the small villages outside of Freetown and essentially "buys" the children from their parents. She then brings the kids to Freetown and claims money from the government to run her "orphanage." Whenever they receive a donation of clothes, books, toiletries, etc, "Honorable Reverend Marie" SELLS the items instead of giving it to the children. It was incredibly infuriating to find all of these things out. But at least now we are all working on getting all the children relocated, either back to their parents or to a legitimate orphanage where they will have the things that they need. Once things get settled, I will be contacting you again so we can help these traumatised kids.

So that's about it for now. We can't wait to receive your responses - and we need them - they make us so happy! After dealing with work, house issues, and stolen orphans, your emails will be such a nice change of pace.

We miss you all incredibly, and we can't wait to hear from you!

Big hugs and kisses,

Alex and Jovana

--
Jovana Ostojic-Paredes

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285
Italy: +39 0831 25 7285

June 23, 2008

Our Dear Friends,

We have decided to start sending out weekly 

 emails because it seems like so much happens here all the time - and we want to share it with you. We are really going through so much here, and because we have no one to share it with other than each other, we like to communicate with you as well. Thanks for writing to us. So much has happened lately and this email is bound to be the longest one yet. I've been working on it for several days!

This week has been really crazy! Instead of writing in chronological order like I usually do, I will start with the sad things, and then move on to the happy things.

The Sad Stuff

Rose

In Sierra Leone all white people are considered to have a never-ending supply of money. People ask you for money when you are on the street, in your car, in the grocery store, on the beach... they just ask and ask. And considering the fact that the average salary here for a local is about $50 US dollars per month, those of us working in international organizations are comparatively rich - regardless of how much we earn. I sort of expected this, as Maxine, a lawyer I worked with at the ICTY who lived in Sierra Leone for 3 years, warned me.

Tariq, our landlord left this week for a business trip. He is the one who keeps the guards in line, forbids them from asking us for money, gifts, etc. However, when he is not at home everyone tries to take advantage of Alex and me. We try to just keep to ourselves, not go out too much, and basically limit our contact with the guards. We are always on a higher alert when he is not around and a bit more stressed. Keeping that in mind, please read the next paragraph.

Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave the house I saw Rose. She looked awful! She had bandages on her arms from getting IV treatments at the hospital. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me that she has Malaria. She also told me that she had been going to a hospital that is quite far away for treatment. The hospital had told her, apparently, that if she paid 600,000 Leones (a bit over $200 USD) they would give her everything she needed so she could receive her malaria treatments at home. Knowing that she has two small children to take care of, and knowing how horrible malaria makes a person feel, I immediately knew that Alex and I would pay for her to get all the treatment that she needs. However, I told her that I would discuss it with Mr. Alex and let her know whether we could help her while Tariq was away.

Of course, Alex said yes. But upon further reflection we realized that 600,000 Leones was a huge amount of money - especially in a place where malaria, and its treatment are common. I sought advice from Candice, our boss (who by the way is a Canadian who met and married a Sierra Leonian). Candice advised me to accompany Rose to the doctor because that way I would know that I wasn't being taken advantage of. I asked a court driver to take me back home to pick up Rose and we took her to a nearby hospital (also that Candice recommended - she went there for treatment of malaria when she got it).

The King Harman Hospital is a rundown, dirty building, which like the Orphanage, has no glass in its window frames. In the waiting room there are wooden benches. People just pile into the waiting room and hope to be seen by a doctor. In this day and age, when we know the importance of hygiene and sterilization, it broke my heart to see how filthy the hospital was. Malaria causes a very high fever and Rose was freezing cold. I asked if we could have a blanket. Can you believe that the hospital has no blankets?

Because I was the only "white woman" in the hospital, Rose received special attention. She was seen very quickly and I ensured that we had time alone with the Doctor (you see, people here just pile into a room and the doctor examines them all without privacy). I asked that Rose see the Doctor alone, and that he really examine her. I was totally appalled when I saw the Doctor use an ear thermometer without a cover (ie, they use the same one in everyone's ears without cleaning it in between patients).

After her visit with the Doctor, we went back into the waiting room where a pharmacy is located. I bought Rose all of her medicine. The total for everything - including medicine and hospital fees - was 38,000 Leones, or, $13 US dollars - a far cry from the $200 that Rose wanted.

My heart is a bit broken. Maxine had warned me that people would try to take advantage of us... but I just didn't want it to be THEM. Rose and Mustapha and their kids sort of became like my local family. I would take care of them, help them with whatever they need, but now its so hard to believe what they say. And that is a struggle.

The Orphanage

I went to the Orphanage again this week. I expected it to get easier the more frequently I went, but alas, it isn't. To those of you who would like to help out the orphanage, please send me an email. I have some ideas on what to do and how, but I don't want to bore everyone else who is not interested.

There was a little boy, less than 2 years old, and as soon as he saw me he came over and hugged me. Seems like he just wants someone to love him and hold him. He cuddled with me the whole time I was there, and fell asleep when I was reading to the kids. This week the kids were more interested in talking and hanging out with me than in listening to me read. They all just need a friend. And they are so smart! Amanda and I had sang "Skinimerinkidinkidink" to them only twice, but they have it memorized, and they all serenaded me this week with it! Amanda has a job in Uganda but she gave me a 50-lb bag of rice that she had leftover to take to the orphans. Its great that other people are getting more involved as well. They are such good and smart kids.

Anyway, please let me know if you'd like to help, and I will send you all the details.

The HAPPY stuff

July 4, 2008

Is the date of Alex and my Sierra Leonean wedding! We are having a civil ceremony, Sierra Leone style. I am having a dress made here, out of African lace and chiffon. Of course, you know you'll be getting pictures immediately after! We were going to wait until later, but decided to just go ahead and do it here. We love each other, and it will be interesting and an adventure to do it here!

Sadly, no one will be attending (parents, friends etc) from back home. But its ok - this wedding is for us, although we will have a big party after for people from the court. His parents are planning a reception in Spain in December, and my parents are planning another wedding for us in AZ after the bar.

Cockroach Killing Ninja

Alex is the main man for killing cockroaches in our house. In Freetown, you cannot escape the bugs - they're everywhere. No matter how clean you keep your home, no matter how much anti-bug spray you use, nothing will get rid of them. The other night we had a couple of pretty big ones and Alex was so funny when he was killing them. As he would step on the cockroach he made this hilarious "hiiiiiiiyyyyaaaaa" yell. So I have nicknamed him "cockroach killing Ninja." Seriously though, its not easy to deal with the bugs. They are huge and scary. And they are really disgusting to find in your kitchen or bathroom. I don't know what I'd do without Alex and his Ninja style.

Alex's Love Letter to the Boss

The other day Alex and I needed to get some money out of the safe in our Boss' office. Here is the email that was written by Alex:

baby, have you got the money from Candice's safe?

And here is the response:

Hi Alex,

I am glad that you are feeling more comfortable around the office! No, seriously - I think this was meant for Jovana!

I am in the office now if you need to get into the safe.

Alex had accidentally sent our Boss the email that was meant for me! It was quite funny, and everyone had a good laugh at the office...

The mock-evacuation

The UN decided to have a mock evacuation this weekend. We all had to practice what to do if we had to be evacuated because the security situation got worse. Security is a bit worried because of the elections that are coming up in July and usually around elections time it is a bit dangerous. But don't worry - we know what to do and how to get there if anything were to occur. I've sent some pictures from the evacuation exercise. Let me tell you, the local people were terrified when they saw a convoy of all UN people leaving, accompanied by armed guards. We did get a nice tour of Freetown though, and I got some pretty nice pictures, also attached.

The end!

So there you go! We have caught you up on everything that's been going on this week. We miss you and can't wait to hear about what's going on in your lives too! Big hugs and kisses from Freetown,

Jovana and Alex

--
Jovana Ostojic

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285

June 13, 2008

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you all so much for writing us! We love to hear about how you're doing, and what you're up to while we are all so far away from each other.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has so generously offered to help with the Orphanage. Your generosity has touched me so much, and I am working on figuring out a way that would be the easiest for you to send items. As soon as I figure out something, I'll let you know. Books and school supplies are definitely something that will be extremely useful here. Please, don't send anything to the address I have listed at the bottom of the email except letters and postcards. That address is the diplomatic mail pouch for the UN and if you have sent anything bigger than a letter it will be returned to you. I'll supply you with a different address for sending larger care-packages if you'd like.

Last weekend a friend of mine, Amanda, volunteered with me. Because she speaks Creo (the local language, and the one children learn first) we decided to split up the children into two groups. She had the little ones, and she told them stories, played games with them, and taught them songs. I continued reading the BFG to the older children. As we were getting ready to finish up for the day we joined the two groups and taught them the song and dance to "Skinimerinkidinkidink." The kids watched Amanda and myself as we sang it through once - they seemed to love it! Their laughter was contagious and by the end of the song everyone was laughing, smiling and doing the dance. I wish that Amanda and I could continue going to the Orphanage every Saturday, but Amanda has just accepted a permanent job in Uganda and she is moving there in two weeks. Looks like I'll be by myself again...

This has been a busy week with work for both of us. The RUF trial is coming to an end, and Trial Chamber 1 is getting ready to start working on the judgment. It seems like there is so much that still needs to be done before we can get to the judgment writing phase, so everyone is hurrying up to get all unfinished projects finished. Because of how busy we are, and lack of internet at home, we're sorry if we don't reply to your emails. But trust us, we are always talking and thinking about what you're doing! Especially those of you with new and exciting adventures coming up... and we really look forward to your (potentially upcoming) visit.

I can't tell you how much I miss working at the ICTY. I've realized that I absolutely need to be on one side or the other. Working in a neutral Chamber just doesn't fire up my passion as much as fighting for prosecution or defence. Fortunately, Alex is enjoying what he is doing here, so at least one of us is happy at work! I also miss the amazing people I worked with when I was at the ICTY. Reading through the trial transcripts from the SCSL, Alex and I are realizing how not to conduct direct and cross examinations!!!

I'm really excited because I just booked my ticket to Dugi Rat, Croatia from July 14-25! When my mom was 13 years old she went to Croatia and befriended a girl named Andjelka. They have remained best friends all of these years! Andjelka has two daughters who are a couple of years older than me, and one of them is getting married in July. I'm really looking forward to seeing my mom and my "Croatian family."

Last weekend Alex and I spent some time in downtown Freetown. The pictures I've attached are ones that we took during out time in downtown.

We miss you all! With love from Sierra Leone,

Jovana and Alex

--
Jovana Ostojic

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285

June 6, 2008

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for keeping in touch with us! It can be very difficult here, as communication is extremely limited. Your emails are the highlights of our day - we usually print them out and share them with each other when we get home from work. It really means a lot to us to have your support here.

Last week I was still not working, so I was with Rose, Mustapha and

Aisha and Jovana

Abdul and Aisha. On Friday, I thought it would be nice to go and visit Abdul's school. The kids were all surprised to see a "white woman" (my name here!!) at their school. They were so cute - singing for me! I joined in for the songs that I also know, like "Frere Jaques" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." I took pictures of them (which I emailed you earlier this week). When I started here this week, I asked our IT department to print out color copies of the photos, which I took to the school yesterday. The kids remembered me, and all ran up to me in a HUGE group hug! They loved the photos and hung them up on the wall.

Before I ever came to Sierra Leone I knew that working at the Special Court would not be enough for me - I wanted to be more involved with the local community. So for the first few days I spent my time looking around for a place that could use my help. I finally decided on an orphanage near my office. Last Saturday I went there to read to the children.

I've been putting off writing this email because I've been trying to think of the best way to convey to you what I saw and experienced. A week has gone by, and I still don't have the vocabulary to describe it. But here goes...

When I arrived, I was met by the oldest boy, Ousman. He is 16 years old and is the one who looks after the children when the Director (a very very old woman) is not there. Ousman's comment to me was "God must have sent you..."

The orphanage is a big house. There is no door to the house, and there is no furniture. On the first floor literally all you see is a mud floor. There are no windows, rather holes where windows should be. The first floor is the "common area" where the kids hang out.

Take the stairs up to the second floor, and that's where you will find the sleeping area for the kids. There are 3 rooms for girls and 3 rooms for boys. Inside the rooms are "beds" constituting of sponge. There are no sheets, no pillows, no blankets - nothing. And the children are lucky if they have one change of clothes. There are no dressers, no closets. The kids keep their clothes on the window sill. Once again, the floors are just mud. Worse than that, the mud floors are uneven and very difficult to walk on.

Then I met Maria. She is handicapped - she cannot walk. Her limbs are deformed and she just crawls around the floor to get from place to place. Her mind, however is completely in tact - she was one of the kindest and friendliest children I met.

One more flight of stairs up you come up to another huge room. The third floor is where the elderly lady tries to teach the kids. I say and emphasize the word TRY because there are no books, no pens, no pencils, no paper... nothing resembling school supplies. All that exists is an old chalk board and some ratty old benches where the pupils sit. The windows on the third floor are protected in some way, as there are sheets hanging up to separate the inside from the outside.

This is where I was taken to teach. You see, so many of the children at the orphanage want to go to school, but they can't because you have to pay for school here. The fact that I come there to read to them in English is the closest thing to an education many of them will ever see. I am trying to come up with other ideas - other things to teach them but I don't know how or what. I would love to get your input and hear your ideas...

Do you notice that I made no mention of toilets or electricity? This was not an oversight. Neither thing exists at the orphangae.

Other than the atrocious living conditions the thing that struck me most was how bright these kids are. They all wanted to talk to me, ask me questions; they have a huge thirst for education.

I found a donated copy of Roald Dahl's "The BFG," a book I used to read when I was small. This was the ONLY child-appropriate book in the "library" which is actually two tables with crappy old books that foreigners donated after they finished reading them on the plane. Most of the titles I saw had some form of "murder" or "kill" in the title. Anyway, I started reading and children slowly crept from the back row to the front row to get a better listen (or maybe stare at the "white woman"). I don't know if they enjoyed the story or the attention that I was giving them more, but they didn't want me to stop. After I would finish a chapter, I would ask them "continue?" and they all shouted "yes, yes continue!!!" I ended up reading over 70 pages to them that day.

As I left, all the kids followed me. It wasn't until we were outside the house in the sunshine that I was able to show them that the book is illustrated. We spent some time out there going over all the pictures. As I was saying "goodbye" they asked me if I would ever come back... and of course I am... I will be there every Saturday and in fact, I am trying to organize some other people to come with me so we can split up kids into age groups and teach them age appropriately.

Ousman and another boy, John, felt very protective of me and wanted to walk me down the giant hill to my awaiting taxi.

I asked Alex if we could go into town later that day and look for some books. I wanted to buy a couple so I will have additional materials to read to them when we finish "The BFG" shortly. We struggled to find books, but finally found some photocopied and stapled packets resembling books. At least it's something, right?

To make matters worse, I found out that it costs only about ONE HUNDRED dollars to send a child to school for a year here! And with so many kids that want to go to school, kids who want to learn, I can't believe that there isn't more assistance. I know that I will be paying for some kids to go school - as long as I live.

Jovana & Alex at Court

On another note, I started work here on Monday. I had to do a bunch of administrative stuff, going around and getting signatures from people. I also had to get over to IT and get my UN login and password. Since I had been in Sierra Leone for a few weeks before I started at the SCSL, I had some idea of what I should expect - the other interns told me that the people we need to get signatures from are never willing to give you the time to get your form completed, and to expect that it should take me about 6 (!!!) days to get it all done. I did not want to waste 6 days of my life getting admin stuff done, so the day before I started working I baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and brought them with me to work. Since this court is significantly smaller than the ICTY, word quickly spread that the new intern had food with her. Can you believe that I got my administrative forms finished in 2 hours? Somehow, everyone wanted cookies and thus was available to sign my forms... apparently I set a record at the court.

If you want to watch a fantastic account of what happened in Sierra Leone just a few years ago, watch the documentary "Cry Freetown." I promise that you will be deeply affected. And perhaps the most heart wrenching thing is that Freetown still looks exactly the same as it did during the war. People here are reminded on a daily basis what they went through. Their strength is incredible. We all have so much to learn from them.

Otherwise, Alex and I are doing really well. We are happy and healthy. Today is his birthday and we went to a nearby hotel to have an African Buffet for lunch with some people from the office. Every day is an adventure here.

Thanks for reading this seemingly endless email! I just have so many emotions and since I can't really talk to anyone but Alex here, so you are the ones who get to hear about it. We really look forward to your replies, and thank you so much for taking the time to write us back.

With much love from Sierra Leone,

Jovana and Alex

--
Jovana Ostojic

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,
c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,
Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

+232-76-744-103
New York: 212 963 9915 Ext. 178 7285

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to write, but the only place with Internet is the Special Court, and I don't actually start working here until June 2. This email is super long, so get ready!

Graduation was wonderful, I saw so many people who I don't normally get to see, and I am so thankful that they were able to come celebrate with me. It was truly an amazing weekend. I was so overwhelmed with emotions, mainly because I had been so sad and alone in San Diego, and then suddenly (almost) everyone I care about came there. Now all of my bad memories have turned in to great ones that I will cherish always. A big THANK YOU to everyone who came.

Two days after graduation (and the night before I came to SL), my parents, grandma, Alex and I went out to dinner. At that dinner, Alex said that he had something to say to the us, and he took out a speech from his pocket. He said many lovely things and at the end he asked my parents for permission to marry me. After they said "ask her first!" he asked me and of course, I accepted! We haven't set a wedding date yet, although we have agreed not to get married until we both have "real" (ie paid) jobs. But I'll make sure to keep you posted!

Last Tuesday, Alex and I embarked on the two day journey to get to Freetown. I didn't allow myself to cry in front of my parents, but as soon as we cleared security in the Phoenix airport, I couldn't hold it in anymore, and Alex had to deal with my tears! Then when we got to London I started getting nervous.... I mean, I had made it this far and it was my last chance to change my mind about coming to Sierra Leone. But I didn't change my mind, and I got on the chartered airplane to come to Freetown.

The Arrival

We were arriving at night to Lungi airport, and during landing I had two very strange experiences. First, we flew through an electrical storm. And although there was no turbulence, it was amazing to watch lightening all around us. The second strange experience was looking out the window, expecting to see city lights. There were none. We landed in the total darkness - as most of the homes here do not have electricity. In fact, it was so dark outside that I didn't know if we actually landed or just experienced turbulence!!! It was unreal.

We got off the plane and entered into the madness called the airport. EVERYONE wants to help you with your luggage, and no matter how much you have, 5-7 people are helping you. Of course, you have to tip them all, and they don't hesitate letting you know that "I helped with the luggage too!" We ran out of Leons (the local currency) well before we ran out of people to tip. I was heartbroken having to turn people away.

Driving through the darkness to the Ferry (you have to cross a large body of water between the airport and Freetown), I saw how people live. The houses were lit by a single candle and everyone surrounded it. The houses are tin shacks (check out the pictures).

 I immediately felt so guilty for all of the things I want want want, like a new laptop. Why should I have a new laptop when people here don't even have electricity?!!?!? I wished I had brought a suitcase full of toys for the children here instead of all the other crap I brought. If people here can live without things like nail polish why can't I? What is it that makes us so different?

Then I saw the hospital. And I lost it. The vet that we take our dog to has better facilities than the hospital here. I started crying and shaking and thought to myself that I would need to get on the next plane home.

Changing my perspective

But in the light of the following day, I saw Freetown differently. I saw how beautiful it is. I saw lush landscapes, incredible trees and the gorgeous water. I saw farmers, so proud of their produce, arranging their items neatly on the ground for sale (or, in some cases on trays on their heads!). I also realized that the people here have so much pride in what little they do have. I also heard the laughter of Aisha and Abdul. You see, Alex and I live in a house that has live in servants and guards. Our house is owned by the Deputy Prosecutor of the Special Court, so we have special security as well. Rose and Mustafa are the "houseboy" and cleaning lady, a married couple, and Aisha and Abdul are their children.

Aisha is 2 years 2 months old and Abdul is 4 years 4 months old. They are so cute and smart. I immediately fell completely in love with them. They are intelligent, and so full of life and promise and | wish there was something I could do to help them have a better life than their housekeeper parents. Luckily, someone pays for Abdul to go to school.

I spent my first day at home (Alex is back to work, I have a week off) playing with the kids. Abdul knows how to turn on the electricity in order to turn on the tv and dvd player. I felt like a bit of an idiot being shown how to use these devices by a 4 year old, who doesn't even have them in his own house! I also saw where they live. The landlord provides them with a "house" but its actually the garage. A dirty, dingy garage, filled with rocks and dirt. All 4 family members sleep on the floor. Again, my heart broke. My heart breaks, then I get angry. I want to change things here, but I don't know how. And they are a LUCKY family, since they don't live in those tin shacks. Every day is a roller coaster of emotions, and if I didn't have Alex to put things into perspective (like, "Jovana, we CAN'T give all our money away!") I would already be broke.

We had to put up a mosquito net in our room. Alex hasn't been bitten, and he's survived the last 6 weeks without a net, but on my very first night I got bitten 5 times - on the forehead! I wonder if I will always feel like the mosquito net is beautiful.

Friday night, we went to a poetry reading and fundraiser. There were many well-off Sierra Leonians present. Most of them had been educated in the US or the UK and have now come back to try to make a change here. The poetry was phenomenal, and Alex was even asked by the organizers to read a poem in Spanish! He did a really good job!

On Sunday, our landlord, Tariq, took us to the beach. It was an hour drive from our hose. We went through Freetown and the first village called Godrich. Although there aren't many paved roads in Freetown, there are some. But as soon as you leave, there are no paved roads ANYWHERE. The poverty is overwhelming. As we were driving to River Number 2 Beach we came to a group of men standing in the middle of the road. They were doing something that they had seen the UN people doing during the conflict which is creating a "checkpoint" or as Tariq calls it an "extortion point" because they won't move out of the way until you give them some money.

The beach was stunning - white sandy beaches, warm clean water, and no one around. It was truly a tropical paradise.

On the way back, there were considerably more checkpoints - probably about 10 or so. The difference this time was that each and every checkpoint was run by CHILDREN - as young as 5 or 6 years old. What they do is take big sticks and block the road with them. They ask for money, but Tariq just yells at them, and tells them to go to drop the stick or he'll break it! You can't do that with the adults because there are many many more of them, and they will get violent, throwing sticks and rocks at your car.

We also witnessed our first school parade. They were playing the song "when the saints go marching in" and it seemed like each student, his/her parent(s), and teachers were all there! The kids were gorgeous in their uniforms, smiling and waving. Again, I fell in love with Sierra Leone.

I'll end this email with two funny stories of my experiences.

Sunday night, we went to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, called Alex's. It was beautiful and great until the biggest cockroach I have seen in my life appeared out of nowhere on our table and made a beeline for my food. I jumped out of my chair and tried really hard to suppress my scream. Since there are only about 7 tables in the whole place, everyone saw. Feeling like I had to save some face, I explained that I was new to Sierra Leone and was still getting adjusted to the bugs!

Then yesterday I was doing some cleaning around the house. After I was finished I thought I'd take a nice shower. But instead I got a surprise. I guess the houseboy forgot to put a filter on the main waterline because water and GRASS started coming out of the shower. I'm not kidding. I was covered with what looked like lawnmower clippings. I couldn't get enough clean water to get it off. Eventually I gave up, and just toweled off all the grass. Alex said that most women go to spas and pay for treatments where they get covered in mud/seaweed and that I should consider myself lucky for having it at home. I like his attitude and sense of humor. Today the water was plain water again.

That's it for now. I hope that I am able to convey some of my feelings and experiences to you, and that you are able to understand some of the things I am going through. Otherwise I am really happy here and love the people. But I still can't wait to see your replies! As of Monday, I will have regular access to the Internet, since I'll be here at the Special court every day.

Here is my phone number if you'd like to call: 011-232-76-744-103 and my address is:
Jovana Ostojic

Trial Chamber I, Special Court for Sierra Leone,

c/o UNIOSIL, c/o UNDP Freetown, Postal Services,

Palais des Nations, CH1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland

I miss you and love you all!!!!

Big Hugs and Kisses!!!!
Love Always,

Jovana