Caritas Freetown, with funding from Trocaire, has disbursed Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) of NLe3,480 each to 80 households in three disaster-prone communities in the Western Area Urban as part of efforts to strengthen community disaster preparedness and mitigation.
The beneficiaries are from Moyiba, Moa Wharf and Bottom Oku in Wellington, with the distribution taking place at Rokel Commercial Bank, Wellington PMB Branch, on Wednesday September 23, 2026.
The intervention forms part of a project titled: “Strengthening Community Disaster Preparedness, Flood Mitigation, Climate Resilience and Emergency Response Systems in Vulnerable Communities of Western Area Urban, Sierra Leone.”
Speaking during the disbursement, Eliza G. O. C. Sillah, Programs Manager at Caritas Freetown, said the project was developed following an assessment which identified gaps in disaster management structures within the targeted communities. She said the assessment found that the communities lacked structured Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs) to effectively mitigate and respond to disasters.
According to Eliza G. O. C. Sillah, the project is therefore supporting the strengthening of the CDMCs, including providing them with tools to carry out mitigation activities such as community cleaning and identifying houses located in disaster-prone areas.
She described the cash transfer as one of the key components of the project, intended to enable beneficiaries to strengthen their homes and support their families.
Eliza G. O. C. Sillah explained that the disbursement was preceded by financial literacy training to help beneficiaries properly manage and utilize the funds. She added that Caritas will conduct post-distribution monitoring two weeks after the cash transfer to assess how the money was used, its impact on beneficiaries and their level of satisfaction with the intervention.
Meanwhile, Gerald King, Deputy Director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), described the intervention as an important complement to Government’s disaster management efforts.
Gerald King said the Government faces challenges in preparing for, mitigating and responding to disasters, making partnerships with organisations such as Caritas and Trocaire important. He noted that residents in disaster-prone communities are particularly vulnerable to flood-related incidents during the rainy season.
“What is good about this intervention is that it’s not a response to disaster but preparedness,” Gerald King said, while describing the approach as anticipatory action, which equips communities before a disaster occurs.
He said such support gives vulnerable households a starting point to cope with the effects of a disaster should one occur.
Gerald King also stressed the importance of resources in disaster management, saying the sector requires significant resources to effectively prepare for and respond to emergencies.
He said Sierra Leone has made significant progress in disaster management over the years, noting that prior to 2020, the country did not have a stand-alone agency responsible for disaster management and response.
He added that the NDMA has since undertaken several policy actions aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness, mitigation and response. Gerald King further noted that many disaster-related incidents in Sierra Leone are linked to human activities, including the continued occupation of disaster-prone areas and activities that increase vulnerability to disasters.
For beneficiaries, the cash support is expected to help address some of the challenges they face during the rainy season.
Alusine Bangura, a beneficiary from Moyiba, said earning a living has been difficult since the death of his parents and that his household often struggles during the rainy season. Alusine Bangura said he would use part of the money to strengthen his house, which is usually affected by heavy rainfall.
He plans also to use the remainder to establish a small kiosk selling phone recharge cards to support himself and his brother.
Another beneficiary, Dora Mansaray from Moa Wharf, said heavy rainfall sometimes forces her family to temporarily leave their home because of flooding. She said the flooding has also resulted in the loss of household properties.
Dora Mansaray said she would use the money to purchase sand and cement to repair sections of her house that have been damaged by heavy rainfall. She expressed gratitude to Caritas for the financial support, saying it would make a difference for her and her children.
The cash transfer is part of the broader intervention aimed at strengthening the capacity of vulnerable communities to prepare for, mitigate and recover from disasters.
