Inspire Entertainment Magazine Spring 2014 - Vol. 4 | Page 51

highest statistics in all of the nations of child mortality. I think the mission for Shine on Sierra Leone at this point,

and myself, in the next five years is just to help lower those statistics. Women haven’t been given the respect
or the courtesy of even being women; childbirth is supposed to be something that’s magical in any country
that you’re in, and unfortunately it’s being taken away from these babies and their mothers. It’s almost like
it’s a curse to get pregnant in Sierra Leone.
Q: What do you hope this organization can accomplish in
the short and long term?
Ebanks: Right now we’re working with the government, healthwise. Shine on Sienna Leone does so many things for the people of
Sierra Leone. There’s microloans, they’re building an eco-friendly
village that is self-sustainable. There’s parenting and there’s a sports
facility.
Right now we’re working with the government to rehabilitate Sierra
Leone coming out of this long war they had. Now they have a new
government, and I think their priorities are being straightened out. I
believe health care is one of the main issues, being that they have the
highest statistics in all of the nations of child mortality.
I think the mission for Shine on Sierra Leone at this point, and my- Model Selita Ebanks and Shine On Sierra Leone
self, in the next five years is just to help lower those statistics. Wom- founder Tiffany Persons attend a fundraiser for
en haven’t been given the respect or the courtesy of even being wom- Sierra Leone.
en; childbirth is supposed to be something that’s magical in any
country that you’re in, and unfortunately it’s being taken away from these babies and their mothers. It’s almost like it’s a curse to get pregnant in Sierra Leone.
Q: Is there anything you would like to add?
Ebanks: I’ve helped raised a lot of money for Sierra Leone, I just won
$20,000 on a TV show. I mean I’ll pretty much do anything, I’m shameless. I just really want the world to be aware of it, just to know that this is
happening.
It’s something that’s so easy — $500 dollars … the average income of a
doctor (in Sierra Leone) is $100 a month, that’s it. Fifty dollars per nurse. There’s only 10 to 12 doctors in
one hospital, and that’s in the capital of Sierra Leone. There’s only
like two pediatricians, and they don’t have any supplies. So it
doesn’t matter how many doctors we have if there are no supplies
and they can’t help the people.
Every little bit counts, and I just want to encourage people to visit
www.shineonsierraleone.com or just to educate themselves. There’s
other amazing organizations that work in Sierra Leone as well, so if
it’s not Shine on Sierra Leone, it can be any other organization that is helping the
people in Sierra Leone. I’m
really honored.
Selita can be seen on the hit
BET show, “Real Hollywood
Husbands.”