Bermuda's African community is rallying to raise awareness for Sierra Leone which has been devastated by political and civil unrest.

For nearly ten years, the West African country has been embroiled in a civil war caused by a corrupted government and stolen resources.

However, it has only recently gained attention because of brutal slayings and atrocities committed against women and children.

These atrocities, which have included hacked off limbs, kidnapped children and murder, have taken their toll on the displaced relatives that live in various corners of the world.

Because of the extreme threat to human life, a select group of locals including Ngadi Kamara and Ayo Johnson have moved to correct the lack of local awareness for the suffering Africans.

Both Ms Kamara and Mr. Johnson were born in Sierra Leone and still have extensive family ties to the country.

Mr. Johnson said local support for the country's plight has been building and help has been extended from various members of the community.

He applauded the efforts of Bank of Bermuda employee Sheila Wedderburn and her organisation of three containers of clothing, shoes and canned goods for the country.

"A total stranger decided to take some action on their own,'' he said.

"It's an incredible gesture and I want to thank everyone for their time and effort.'' However, Mr. Johnson noted that more world support was needed to combat the wasteful killing of human life that is taking place in Sierra Leone.

While he and Ms Kamara agreed that natural disasters and civil unrest occurred all over the world, they added that they were frustrated that the world showed a delayed reaction to these events when they occurred in Africa.

They said they were concerned, not only for the future of Sierra Leone, but for other African countries that were being manipulated through greed for their natural resources.

With slain bodies and maimed children almost an everyday occurrence in the country, Mr. Johnson said it was difficult for him to make Bermudians understand the feelings of loss and devastation.

"It's a very complex situation,'' Mr. Johnson said.

"These kinds of human abuses involve dozens of countries. The English language has no words to describe it. I've never cried so hard or slept so little in my life.

"It's a wrenching experience that will take time for the country to recover from,'' he said.

"But despite all the problems, I can never abandon Sierra Leone, in mind or in spirit.'' Ms Kamara said she was "desperately'' concerned for her generation and the loss of tradition and culture because of the war in Sierra Leone.

"It's very disheartening and difficult,'' she lamented.

"I feel concerned about my children. This is part of their heritage and I want an opportunity for them to see the culture of Sierra Leone as it once was, not how it is now.'' War is close to home for Kamara, Johnson "I hoped one day to take my family there, but each time we try and plan a trip we are faced with the growing war. It's too much of a threat to our security and safety.'' Ms Kamara added that Sierra Leone was not helped by constant media images of the death and destruction there as they made people numb and complacent about the events that have all but stripped Africa of its glory.

"I think it's important for people to know that it's not a Sierra Leonean war,'' she said.

"There are outside forces that are causing a lot of the conflicts. The media isn't always positive and they definitely see Africa as full of problems.

"That's the mentality, that Africa can't take care of its needs. People don't look at the full picture and the history of events such as slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.'' The recent onslaught of war and corruption in the country is due to the collapse of an eight-year peace treaty designed to maintain peace there.

Recently, fighting flared up again between the government and the country's rebel army, the Revolutionary Rebel Front (RUF). Both sides are using child soldiers aged seven to 18 to fight the war.

Human rights groups said the children were forcibly recruited and encouraged to carry out amputations and murders on civilians and members of their own families.

In addition, the children were forcibly recruited as spies, diamond miners and sex-slaves and were induced with alcohol and drugs to deaden their fear.

The two crusading locals said they were working tirelessly to organise African alliance groups and human rights awareness on the Island.

"It requires global action,'' Mr. Johnson said, "but it's the average man on the street that has the power to make a change.

"It boils down to our willingness to act on behalf of human beings.'' In association with Amnesty International Bermuda, Mr. Johnson said he was organising the community to help the people of Sierra Leone.