October 2017
Paper records dating back to the early 1800s are disintegrating at an alarming rate due to poor storage conditions, heat and humidity and frequent handling. Years of civil war and a deadly outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, have left Sierra Leone devastated and its infrastructure broken. Dysfunction spills over into every aspect of life in this poverty-stricken West African country, including the record preservation of a population.
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FamilySearch is collecting and preserving oral histories and oral genealogies in Africa. With the younger generation leaving African villages for larger cities, some family histories may not be passed to future generations unless we preserve them now.
Mandy Phillips accepts Elder Andersen's temple challenge and is reunited with her grandparents she hasn't seen in 20 years.
After learning about FamilySearch, Paula Madison very quickly found her grandfather and his Chinese wife and children. After digging deeper and travelling to China, Paula no longer felt lost and was relieved that her mother was now claimed.