BRUSSELS AIRLINES WORK IN SIERRA LEONE GOES BEYOND THE EXTRA SMILE.

Meet the Sierra Leone Team.

A few weeks back as we commemorated the end of Ebola (according to World Health Organisation on November 7th 2015, all known chains of transmission of Ebola in Sierra Leone were stopped). My memory was triggered by the challenging time that we went through as a nation. I decided to look back to see if there were any positive recollections that we could perhaps take forward into the future. This birthed the blog series ‘Joy cometh in the morning ‘; it’s intended to walk you through stories of resilient organisations and individuals working in Sierra Leone who recognise the power of engaging people positively.

 

Part 1 starts in the beautiful skies of my beloved home overlooking the mountains and gorgeous beaches. Sierra Leone is one of the most beautiful places on earth but getting to it can be burdensome. Maybe this is why Brussels Airlines has made a name for itself, through its multiple weekly flights. This service has effortlessly connected us to a world of opportunities.

 

The world has gone from relying on companies based on the products and services that they offer into a culture that goes beyond buying and selling to creating lasting relationships. This is the bedrock on which Brussels Airlines has built their operations in Sierra Leone.  Their relationship has weathered many storms including the dreaded Ebola virus disease, through it all, their commitment has always rewarded us all with a smile.

 

I had a great conversation with the General Manager of Brussels Airlines, Estelle Van Eeckhout on how they stayed smiling through Ebola, the opportunities that they extend to Sierra Leonean businesses and on what the future holds!

 

ARIANA DIARIES: Ebola Virus caused a lot of multi -national organisations to flee Sierra Leone, what made you stay on?

 

BRUSSELS AIRLINES: Brussels Airlines can look back at a very long-standing and strong link with the African continent. We are known for being the last to leave and the first to come back in times of a crisis. Feeling very close to Africa, and in this particular case to Sierra Leone, means that we also stick to our engagement and our responsibility in bad times. For Brussels Airlines it was crucial to take up its responsibility and stand firm behind the country and its citizens, also transporting medical and humanitarian aid in our cargo holds, and helping the country with our limited means to overcome the crisis. We are much more than just an airline bringing passengers from A to B. We bring people, cultures and economies together and have a social responsibility.

 

ARIANA DIARIES: Ebola Time as it was called was very emotional, Is there are particular moment or memory that stands out for the team?

 

BRUSSELS AIRLINES: The many “thank you” cards received from our African guests and the personal appreciating and gratefulness of all passengers when they deboarded the aircraft in Africa/Brussels. We felt even closer to the African countries than ever before.

Off course on top of that came the Official thanks and awards from the Governments of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Very proud moments for the company!

 

ARIANA DIARIES: What was it like dealing with people every day with the risk of catching the deadly virus, what protocols did you have in place, internally?

 BRUSSELS AIRLINES: We had very strict protocols in place that were followed by everybody every day (regular cleaning of the hands, temperature checks, etc…), including the ABCD of Ebola (Avoid Body Contact Daily). We had been communicating in a very transparent way about Ebola and very closely cooperated with the local and international health authorities.

 

ARIANA DIARIES: Your Industry is competitive with high stakes. Is risk-taking encouraged as a company culture, and what happens when people fail?

BRUSSELS AIRLINES: As an airline, we never take any risk in terms of safety and security – this is our Top Priority!

In the situation of Ebola, it was not about taking risks, it was much more. It was about taking up its responsibility to the affected nations. We were not the problem by continuing operating our flights, we were part of the solution.

As a company culture at Brussels Airlines we push/nourish entrepreneurship within our organisation and follow our values: human, agile, enabling and pleasure.

 

 

ARIANA DIARIES:  We would love to know what the future holds for your work in Sierra Leone.

 

BRUSSELS AIRLINES: As you have mentioned, Brussels Airlines remained active in Sierra Leone during the country’s difficult time. We do believe better and prosperous days are ahead. We want to be part of the rise of Sierra Leone. At Brussels Airlines, we strongly believe in friendship and partnership. The concept of partnership is to get into a relationship that is beneficial for each other. This is why we support development projects in the private sector.

We focus mainly on two aspects:

1- To enable the agribusiness environment. Agriculture is the first employment sector with about 60% of the country’s labour force. We try to help farmers to tackle issues such as finding markets for their products, upgrading the productivity and quality of their production, advising on logistics and linking the stakeholders of the supply chain. We are in close link with COLEACP who envisage opening a program in Sierra Leone as a result of their meet and greet with farmers and authorities during the mission we organised in May 2018.

2- Support and Encourage Entrepreneurship. Private sector is key to development and creation of wealth. Sierra Leone holds a number of people and returnees who have ideas and they want to make a difference. As they believe in the country’s potential and opportunities, but the path from the idea is conceived until it concretises is too long, because the ecosystem is not fully there.

 

Aside of those projects, we still continue to fly our passengers and goods in and out of the country. Whether you are Sierra Leonean or foreigner, whether you came to Freetown to visit your relatives, for business or for work. We must never forget that people, coming in and out of the country also bring dynamism to the economy; experience from abroad, ideas, know-how, which many Sierra Leoneans can use to create opportunities for the future.

 

 

Written by: arianadiaries

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