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Campbellton - A native of Sierra Leone appeared before the city's Tourism Waterfront Beautification Committee last week to ask for help in getting the rest of his family out of the country and in New Brunswick.

David Gbongbor pleaded with city council for help in getting the rest of his family to Campbellton.

David Gbongbor, 43, his wife Rachel and children David, George and Mary, who have been in Campbellton for less than a year, were all at the March 18 meeting to ask council to co-sponsor the nine members of his family who are in the neighbouring country of Gambia, after they escaped the violence of civil war-torn Sierra Leone.

Gbongbor and his wife escaped the violence and found themselves in Fredericton in 2004 before moving to the city in July 2007. He works as an instructor at Sugarloaf Senior High School and assists his family with the cost of educating the nine children. He told the committee that he during his stay in Fredericton that he was able to have his parents sponsored, paving the way for their coming to the province. However, because their nine children are not sponsored, they cannot leave.

"I am asking for your help in getting my family out of there so they can relocate to New Brunswick so we can live as a family again," he said.

The Gbongbors were able to flee to Gambia and ultimately were helped settling in Canada by the United Nations. He wants the same thing for the rest of his family.

He explained that his father is a local chief but has very poor health. He said three of his sisters had been killed in the violence of the decade-long civil war, which was the result of poor natural resource management, tribalism and decline of infrastructure due to bad government.

He said since the war ended, much of the violence had dissipated and there "is a semblance of democracy, but it still isn't safe for them."

Besides helping with paying for his parents medications and education for his siblings, he also sponsors about 35 other children with their education costs. As well, he was able to get the Fredericton Knights of Columbus to sponsor the education cost for 40 children for two years.

The committee, chaired by Gbongbor's co-worker at SSHS, Councillor Gilbert Cyr who is also the vice-principal, said that Gbongbor should put together an information package to present to council on the cost of sponsoring Gbongbor's nine siblings.