A Vietnamese delegation to Sierra Leone on the 7th June, 2022 paid a courtesy call on President Dr Julius Maada Bio and expressed desire and interest for a stronger partnership with the country.
It could be recalled that in March this year, President Bio and delegation arrived in Hanoi, the capital city of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, at the invitation of His Excellency Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who initiated the discussions around bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The visit focused on six key areas including the signing of an agreement for the supply of rice, investing in capacity building in mechanized farming, providing technical expertise to the value chain in fish production among others.
In a brief remark, President Bio welcomed the visiting delegation, saying that his Government is ready to work with them for a sustained economic transformation of Sierra Leone.
“We hope that with this visit, we will deepen and widen cooperation between our two countries. On our part, we will take this relationship seriously. Thank you very much,” President Bio concluded.
In honor of an invitation sent by the Fullah Community within the Malama Community in the West End of Freetown via a young but vibrant youth Fullah progressive organization known as Haldi Forti Haali Poular ,the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie paid a visit over the weekend.
At Songa Drive, the Minister was treated to a grand welcome by community elders including traditional and religious leaders, who expressed appreciation over the visit of the Government representative.
During a Community Engagement which was attended by dozens of Fullahs from various vocations ranging from bike riding to international business ventures, the Fullah Community praised the Minister for his solid leadership at the Ministry which, they claimed, has ushered in several reforms in the sector over a short period of time.
He was urged to continue in such a professional and patriotic direction for the progress of the country.
An executive representative of Haldi Forti Haali Poular, Alhaji Muhammad Jalloh, intimated how the organization was formed to seek the welfare of the Fullahs and facilitate various community development projects, while inviting the Minister to serve as a mentor and godfather for the young men and women in the community.
In response, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie expressed delight for being in the midst of members of the Fullah community, whom he described as one of the most organized and respected tribes in not only Sierra Leone but West Africa as a whole.
“The Fullah people deserve to be respected by all and sundry as the tribesmen continue to demonstrate how much they love and respect themselves,” he noted.
He used the forum as an opportunity to re-echo that the SLPP is the only party that has and will continue to demonstrate the well deserved respect it has for the Fullah Community as evident in the election of Dr. Juldeh Jalloh as Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
“The SLPP is the only political party that has placed the Fullahs in the second highest office in the land,” he pointed out, noting further that Dr. Jalloh has acted as President on countless occasions.
He further used the opportunity to educate the populace on the successes and challenges of the Maada Bio led Government of Sierra Leone, while calling on the Fullahs to continue to support the Government for the prosperity of the country.
The Minister urged the Fullah Community to trust the process, while disclosing that Sierra Leone is lucky to have a patriotic, passionate and focused leader at a time like this when the world is going through hardship.
He assured the Fullah Community that he will always be happy to associate with them as he is a firm believer of the SLPP’s one people one country ideology.
At the event, the Hon. Minister made a surprise financial donation of an undisclosed amount to the organization, which the organizers and community people appreciated so much.
In a letter written by the Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, and addressed to Statistics Sierra Leone with a caption, “???????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????????????-???????????????? ???????????????????????? ????????????????”, the elections management boss started by mentioning how it is a laid down fact that the Electoral Commission is charged with the responsibility of delimiting electoral boundaries using data from that institution pursuant to Section 38 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
He furthered that following the announcement of the Provisional Result of the Mid-Term census on 31st May, 2022, he is requesting, on behalf of the Electoral Commission the following data: Provisional population figures per district and Provisional population figures per council/locality.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner continued how the information he is requesting for and requiring is for the review of electoral boundaries concluding that whilst awaiting a response he is giving assurances of the Commission’s highest esteem.
In another development, the leader of Government Business in Parliament, Hon Mathew Sahr Nyuma in a correspondence dated 5th June 2022 and captioned, “RE: Use of 2021 Mid –Term Housing and Population Census Data and Introduction of Proportional Representation System for the June 2023 Elections Will Not Be in the National Interest to the Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone”, directed or addressed to the Chief Electoral Commissioner, stated that it is with grave concern that he writes to draw his attention to the above subject, more particularly to the reference to the Parliamentary procedure for giving legislative effect to the statutory instrument for the Mid Term Census.
He again maintained that also under reference is the unsubstantiated claim by the Leader of the main Opposition APC Party in Parliament that the process was illegal.
The Leader of Government Business intimated that for the integrity of Parliamentary process and Parliament he wishes to make following clarifications.
First, that it is erroneous to claim that the Proclamation for the Mid-Term Census was not properly laid before Parliament.
According to him, Subsection (7) of Section 170 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991 (Act No. 6 of 1991) is clear and unequivocal adding how as a statutory instrument, so long as it has been properly gazetted, it matures into law and takes effect as such 21 days after it has been laid before Parliament unless sooner annulled by a vote of two-thirds majority of the Members of Parliament.
He argued that the Subsection reads: “Any orders, rules and regulations made by any person or authority pursuant to the powers conferred in that behalf by this Constitution or any other law – shall be laid before Parliament, shall be published in the gazette on or before the day they are so laid before Parliament, shall come into force at the expiration of a period of twenty-one days of being so laid unless Parliament, before the expiration of the said period of twenty-one days, annuls any such orders, rules or regulations by the vote of no less than two-thirds of the Members of Parliament.
Hon Mathew Sahr Nyuma underscored that the Opposition APC in Parliament neither objected to nor called for the annulment of the Proclamation but instead they chose the path of obstructing the Parliamentary process by recourse to physical violence in the Chamber directed at the person of the Speaker and other Members of Parliament as well as tearing up the Presidential Proclamation.
He added that secondly, the reference by the Leader of the Opposition to “…a plan to use the Public Elections Act to introduce a PR system….” is equally erroneous.
According to him, contrary to his opinion there is no need to amend the Public Elections Act to introduce a PR system because it is already provided for in the Sierra Leone Constitution of 1991 as amended in 2001 in Section 38A.
“Any mention of it in any subsequent Public Elections Act is merely as an act of amplification or elaboration of a provision that is already extant and is an integral part of the 1991 Constitution,” he pointed out.
The Leader of Government Business says Section 38A of the Constitution makes provision for a system of Proportional Representation known as the district block representation system and it provides in subsection (1) as follows: “Where, under any law for the time being in force, a date for a general election of Members of Parliament has been appointed but constituencies have not been established in accordance with subsection (3) of section 38 for the purposes of such election, the President may, after consultation with the Electoral Commission, direct that such election shall be conducted on the basis of the existing districts in a manner to be known as the district block representation system instead of constituencies.”
He revealed that the system was in fact first applied in the public elections that were held in 2002.
“Thus seen, I hope you will understand why I have tried to clarify these issues as under my watch as Leader of Government Business, I will not allow Parliament to be used as a tool to subvert the Constitution nor is it helpful for any responsible political leader to mislead or in any way make negative remarks or threaten the peace and cohesion that the country is currently enjoying,” he concluded.
Copies of his correspondence were sent to the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the British High Commissioner, the United States Ambassador, the Head of Delegation – European Union, the Irish Ambassador, the German Ambassador, the Nigerian High Commissioner and the PPRC Chairman.
The First Lady of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Bio, was on the 4th June 2022 the proud recipient of a Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters bestowed on her, during an auspicious awards ceremony in The Gambia, by the American International University in West Africa. She was awarded in recognition of her outstanding humanitarian and philanthropic interventions across the globe.
During the citation presentation, Prof. Adama Sallah stated that Fatima Bio epitomizes bravery, intelligence and servant leadership, as evident in the massive impact being recorded by her humanitarian and official work across the globe.
The Prof. highlighted the rich academic background of the First Lady including her graduation from the Roehampton University with BA Honours in Performing Arts, which qualifies her as an International Actress and Script Writer.
“In 2015, she graduated with a BA Honours in Journalism from the prestigious London College of Communication in the United Kingdom,” he announced.
According to him the First Lady has led numerous gender, philanthropic and child welfare campaigns even before she became First Lady.
Based on what he said, Fatima Bio, in 1999 became the Champion of Meningitis Disease in Africa in her teenage years.
“She was the first to donate the sum of $10,000 for the fight against Meningitis in The Gambia,” he disclosed.
The Prof. further disclosed that the First Lady was the Pioneer of the Face of The Gambia Beauty Pageantry as a beauty queen herself.
“Many young ladies today In The Gambia who have excelled in their various fields went through her training,” he pointed out, adding: “In 2002, she launched the biggest award ceremony exclusively meant to celebrate and promote women, which is the Gambia Women of Excellence Award”.
The First Lady has won the prestigious Best African Woman Actress Award, which she has been using to empower women and girls in the United Kingdom and Africa.
As First Lady, she is on record to have hosted one of the biggest peaceful protest marches against gender and child abuses – a campaign that was not only attended by her counterparts in the region but raised international attention to the issue of rape and gender abuses. That marked the start of her flagship Hands Off Our Girls Campaign.
He described the Hands Off Our Girls Initiative as the biggest and most impactful child rights campaign that led to a presidential declaration of national emergency on rape and sexual violence and the ultimate review and strengthening of the Sexual Offences Act.
She also played a major role in the establishment of the first ever Special Court that is now being used to prosecute rape offenders.
He also highlighted the launch of the free sanitary pads distribution campaign spearheaded by the First Lady as an offspring of the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign and to complement the Free Quality Education Initiative of the Maada Bio led Government of Sierra Leone.
She is currently constructing an ultra modern 500 beds hospital, which will become the biggest hospital ever constructed by an African First Lady, a nursing school, center of excellence for rape victims and an administrative block.
She has constructed an ultra modern vocational school for police wives, provided livelihood support through the national food basket, constructed 11 Mosques with some having Arabic Schools.
“She has distinguished herself in the entertainment industry as an actress, script writer, executive producer, and multi-award winner,” the Prof. pointed out.
Her advocacy resulted in the recruitment of the first exclusive female brigade of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
The Prof. went further to reiterate that the African Union appointed her as Champion for Sanitation and Hygiene.
The United Nations, he said, has also honored the First Lady as the Champion for the UNAIDS Education Plus Initiative alongside President Macky Sall of Senegal.
She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
“Her philanthropic character is inborn and she is a fantastic role model that leads by example,” he highlighted.
“Her greatest strength is her ability to achieve any goal she sets. Some say it is divine. People close to her say it is pure undiluted hard work. While others insist it is a combination of both divine intervention and hard work.”
Following the conferment of well deserved Honorary Doctorate Degrees on the First Ladies of the Republic of Sierra Leone and The Gambia, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio and Dr. Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow respectively, the awarding American International University took the celebration a step further by hosting an auspicious dinner in honour of their fresh graduates.
The University’s Chancellor insisted at the dinner that the world should remember to henceforth refer to the new Honorary Doctorate Awardees as DOCTORS while describing the celebration as a historic honor.
On her part, the First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio expressed appreciation over the decision of the University to recognize her work in this unique way.
She urged the University to remain steadfast in promoting women in the region through recognition of their work and formal knowledge imparting.
She also expressed her undiluted love for Sierra Leone and The Gambia for making her the person she is today, with special reference to Sierra Leone for giving her the opportunity to serve as First Lady.
“Thank you Sierra Leone for giving me the opportunity to serve you; thank you Sierra Leone for making me understand what it means to be a woman that is determined to make a change; thank you for giving me the special privilege and space to be your First Lady. I pray that by the time I leave office I would have served you with distinction and you would be proud to call me your First Lady,” she asserted.
She expressed appreciation to all those that have invested in her in diverse ways.
The Vice Chancellor MMTU, Country Director for Codix and Vice Principal MMTU
At the office of the Vice-Chancellor of the Milton Margai Technical University, Goderich Campus on the 26th May 2022 a donation of a standard F200 Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA) analyzer which could be used to diagnose fifty-three different kinds of conditions in Cardiology, Oncology & Endocrinology (Troponin I, NT-proBNP, D-dimer, CK-MB, PSA, HbA1C, U-Albumin, TSH, T4, fT4, Procalcitonin (PCT), CRP, Covid-19, Influenza Ag, RSV, HCV, and much more was made by Codix.
Country Director of Codix, Segun Aderemi, thanked the Management and Staff of the institution for the good work they are doing, noting that Codix will do anything in its power to continue to give support to the university.
He furthered that, the medical device donated would be of good service to help improve the institution’s health care system also disclosing how they are going to provide free service by learning people how to use the equipment.
VERI-Q and Lipido Care were also part of the items donated.
The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr. Philip John Kanu (Associate Professor) thanked Codix Health Care for their continued support to the university.
He furthered that as a country it is noticeable that much attention is not paid to the sciences which he said are the bedrock for any development in this modern time.
“Milton Margai Technical University started as a small institution but the aim is to expand it as one of the leading Technical institutions in Sierra Leone and Africa.
Having that kind of ambition requires citizens who are willing within and outside of the country to give their support to such a course. My dream is to see Milton Margai Technical University becomes the hub for all other Technical and Vocational institutions in Sierra Leone and beyond. We can’t talk about supporting the middle-level manpower without having a strong and equipped laboratory base,” Dr. Kanu affirmed.
He added that trainees from the institution were performing excellently outside which he said is as a result of the required technical skills they learned from the institution, noting that with such equipment provided by Codix, such will help the health centre with better service delivery to the students and community.
He informed Codix that the institution is working to have accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council for the health care facility to certify their work. He ended by assuring Codix that the equipment donated would be utilized for the right purpose.
Director of Research, Dr Sankoh, whilst giving the vote of thanks, expressed gratitude to Codix for the donation, adding that the laboratory at the institution was the best in the country with modern equipment.
“The device donated is going to be utilized for the benefit of the students, the community people and the country as a whole,” he ended.
A few months ago, Codix also donated other medical devices to the institution as part of its continued support.
During the 52nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Africa Region Conference which commenced in Freetown on the 6th June, 2022 at the Freetown International Conference Center, Aberdeen, the Deputy Speaker of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, Hon Solomon Sengehpoh Thomas, joined the Leaders of Government Business, Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah, at the opening ceremony, to present an award to President Julius Maada Bio.
The President addressed lawmakers from across Africa, meeting as a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and used the occasion to congratulate Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on her Platinum Jubilee.
“I must add that the strengths of our democracies in the Commonwealth have endured, thanks to the role of Parliaments. You debate, modify, adopt, and pass legislation on policies, positions, and visions. You are tasked with voicing diverse views and approving the aspirations of citizens. That is no mean task.
“Let me hasten to say, on this platinum jubilee of Her Majesty’s reign, that I and the people of the Republic of Sierra Leone, wish to commend and congratulate the sovereign of our Commonwealth of Nations for her selfless, steadfast, caring, and inspirational leadership over the last 70 years,” he said.
He further noted that with the theme of the conference being, “The Role of African Parliaments in Building Inclusive Society to Counter Growing Insecurity in Africa”, he was keen on how African Parliaments could support the building of inclusive societies.
“How can they support legislation that narrow social, economic, and political gaps? How can they create and support agile and responsive laws that promote equal opportunity and access? How does parliamentary work support the building of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies? To my mind, therefore, Honourable members, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, these questions should constitute the staple of discussions over the next couple of days,” he said.
In his goodwill message, Secretary-General of the CPA, Stephen Twigg, commended the President’s strong commitment to universal high-quality education and stated that the forthcoming meeting in Rwanda would provide an opportunity for Commonwealth to reset their shared commitment to education.
The Chairperson of CPA, Africa Region’s Executive Committee, and Speaker of the National Assembly, the Rt. Hon. Justin B.N. Muturi, through his representative, expressed gratitude to President Bio for his clear illustration of commitment and support to the ideals of parliamentary democracy, which their organization sought to achieve.
He disclosed that the CPA Africa Region had also spearheaded efforts to change the association’s legal status from a charitable one to an international organization.
Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament and President of CPA Africa Region, Rt. Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu said they had come together as an international community of Commonwealth Parliament and legislatures working together to enlarge and deepen commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance, gender equality and equal representation.
“No time is more auspicious for Commonwealth Africa to meet in Freetown than now that the Queen Elizabeth II of the UK is celebrating the platinum jubilee of her reign. Sierra Leone has long been an enduring symbol of Africa’s history and spirit, its continuity and endurance, its vitality and resilience.”
At Magistrate Court No.3 on Ross Road in Freetown, presided over by Magistrate Hadiru Daboh, a Head Teacher of the Wellington Muslim Association School situated at Wellington, Foday Kanu, was arraigned before the court after he was finally arrested on Bench Warrant issued sometime in November 2021.
According to the particulars of the offence, the said Head Teacher was alleged to have provided his school compound as passage to one Idrissa Koroma and 9 others to steal 1,930 Jerry Cans of Padi Vegetable Cooking Oil valued Le 515,940,515,06 said to be property of Pee Cee & Sons, at the company’s Jolaks Oil Factory at Wellington in Freetown.
It must be noted that since the commencement of the matter the said Head Teacher evaded all the attempts to arrest him but was surprisingly arrested.
It was disclosed by the U.S. Embassy in Freetown on the 6th June 2022 that Samuel Saidu, James Kpaka, Aminata Kandeh, Alex Bayoh, Precious Lamin, Nyangah Rogers-Wright, Laura Nicol, Adama Sillah and Issa Thullah, all considered to be leaders in various fields, will be participating in the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship.
Further revealed by the Embassy was that the 2021 Fellows ,Phebean Swill and Tamba Sangbah, have also been selected to take part in an in-person Alumni Enrichment Institute program as a result of their outstanding performances during their virtual fellowship participation last year.
Launched in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and embodies the U.S. commitment to invest in the future of Africa. YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. Since 2014, nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
Twenty-seven U.S. educational institutions in 20 States and the District of Columbia will host Leadership Institutes for approximately 700 Mandela Washington Fellows. The six-week Institutes, hosted by college and university campuses across the United States, will support the development of Fellows’ leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with U.S. leaders, and collaboration with members of the local community.
The participants are representatives from various fields including, environment, agriculture, social work/rights-based activism, media, law, public health, and entrepreneurship.
After completing the leadership institute element of their programs, Fellows will participate in a virtual summit. Additionally, up to 100 competitively selected Fellows will virtually engage in professional development with U.S. organizations in the public, private, or non-profit sector. Fellows can participate in alumni programming afterward to further build their professional skills and networks.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.
As part of efforts to raise awareness about the importance and benefits of quality milk consumption in the country, for the second time in the history Sierra Leone, Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd, a food distribution company that operates as an agent for Promasidor, a leading supplier of quality food products to more than 30 African countries, including Sierra Leone, joined the world to commemorate World Milk Day which is an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. It has been observed on June 1 every year since 2001.
During this year’s commemoration, the company embarked on a massive five days milk education and sampling to lactating mothers and pregnant women at five different hospitals within the Freetown Municipality namely: Rukupa Government Hospital, Lumley Government Hospital, Princess Christian Memorial Hospital (Cottage), 34 Military Hospital and Aberdeen Women’s Center.
This was executed by extensive milk education and making available dry samples of cowbell powdered milk as well as wet samples of cowbell coffee for lactating mothers and pregnant women in all the hospitals they visited to enjoy.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Country Manager of Premium Divine Trading Ltd, Kenneth Konuah disclosed that World Milk Day is observed every year on the 1st June to recognize the importance of milk as a global affordable nutritious food, adding that the main
objective of the day is to focus on increasing awareness about the benefits of milk as a nutritious product for consumption by all and sundry which, he said, was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2001.
He intimated that Premium Divine Trading, as a responsible company, thought it fit to embark upon this exercise in order to join the world in commemorating the day through massive education or awareness creation on the importance and benefits of milk to lactating mothers and pregnant women, adding that during the process they educated lactating mothers and pregnant women on the significance of consuming
cowbell milk which she said is a rich source of protein, calcium and vitamins A, B, C, D E and K otherwise referred to as Vitarich.
Kenneth Konuah intimated that the theme for this year’s World Milk Day is focused on “Dairy Net Zero” and that this means that the day aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the dairy industry over the next 30 years.
He informed all that Cowbell products comes in 14g sachet, 20g sachet, 360g sachet and 400g tins for the milks. Also, cowbell food drinks package sizes are 40gs for the Coffee, Strawberry, Coconut, Choco-Malt and Cowbell Mocha. They are all produced in Ghana by
Promasidor Ghana Limited for export sales to some West African countries including Sierra Leone.
The Country Manager of Premium Divine Trading Ltd added that Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd also distributes and markets, Onga, Miksi Chocolate and coffee drinks, Xploza, Kremela and Yumvita , the latter being an infant cereal with milk also containing wheat, rice and maize.
He concluded by saying that as a company they can guarantee the availability of quality milk for consumption by everyone with Cowbell Milk, adding that they are doing so to discourage the use of unsafe milk products on the market which she said is not good for lactating mothers, children and pregnant women.
Speaking to this medium, Isatu Kamara a lactating mother who benefited from the milk education and the sampling of cowbell milk commended
Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd for the laudable venture in reaching out to hospitals with milk education describing such as very important towards the development and growth of their children.
She encouraged all lactating mothers to buy Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd products especially Cowbell Milk which she said will support their children to grow well.
“After giving your babies 6 months breast feeding allow give your child Cowbell Milk will not regret as their products have the required nutrients and they are of high quality,” she maintained.
On her part, the Nutritionist for 34 Military Hospital, Zainab Bangura, commended the Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd for the laudable venture in educating lactating mothers and pregnant women on
the significance of consuming quality milk which she said is very important towards the proper growth of them and their babies.
She informed lactating mothers that milk is very important for the
growth and development of their children, but further encouraged them to give their babies 6 months exclusive breast feeding and after which they can now give them milk of which she recommend Cowbell milk which she said has all the nutrients for the proper growth of their babies.
The Matron for Aberdeen Women’s Centre, Jeneba Bockarie also expressed gratitude to the company for the impressive venture towards the massive milk education and sampling to lactating mothers and pregnant women which she described as a move in the right direction towards educating them on the importance of using quality milk for their babies after 6 months exclusive breast feeding.
She furthered that she is with the strong conviction that the company is doing a lot to promote the consumption of quality milk in the country and that the move by the company is part of their efforts in raising awareness about the importance of milk in the country and it clearly shows that the company cares about the wellbeing of Sierra Leoneans.
During their visit to these facilities the company distributed 2 pack of Cowbell milk to all lactating mothers and pregnant women present which was also followed by donation of cartons of Cowbell Milk to the different hospitals to aid their good work.
This recent move by the company was seen as a laudable venture in the expressive appreciation of its valuable, actual and potential customers during this year’s commemoration of World Milk Day.
Caritas Freetown in partnership with Manos Unidas, on the 3rd June 2022, donated hundreds of baby food items, sanitary kits, diapers, and soaps to female fire victims in one of the biggest slum communities in Freetown, Culvert -Camp Know Strain.
The donations were made as part of Caritas’ disaster relief programs in ensuring that affected persons in disaster-prone areas are taken care of mentally and emotionally and provided with temporal basic needs.
229 affected women and girls above 13 received sanitary dignity kits; 116 babies received diapers and baby food, and another 245 women received laundry and bathing soaps slippers, lappa, touch lights, toothbrushes, paste, and more.
Culvert -Camp Know Strain is a slum community located in the East End of Freetown. The slum community is divided into six zones. As clustered as the zones are it’s clear to tag the slum community as a disaster-prone area.
It could be recalled that on Thursday, April 28th, 2022, at around 1:00am, disaster struck one of the zones; zone three.
One of the houses in the said zone caught fire which later spread to the other houses leaving over 100 houses burnt down to ground level. The unfortunate and unprecedented situation left a thousand and more people homeless including children as young as zero-year-old.
The relief items that were donated brought the curtain down on Caritas’ support to the fire victims but it was not the first.
Caritas has been supporting disaster-affected areas in Freetown since its first day of operations in Sierra Leone. For Culvert -Camp Know Strain community, hundreds have lost almost everything that was in their possession as some were left with little or nothing to buy food.
However, as an organization whose principles are built on Christ’s love and compassion for all, Caritas supported the fire victims with cooked food for a period of two weeks.
The Chairlady of the affected community, Madam Hawa Sesay expressed profound thanks and appreciation to Caritas Freetown and Manos Unidas for their timely intervention and unflinching support since the inception of the fire disaster.
Hawa Sesay, with one of the purest smiles as she was happily expressing her gratitude, said: “Caritas is one of the first organizations to reach out to us upon hearing the distressing news.”
“I am happy, very happy for what they have done for us today. The fire disaster took everything, not even a single piece of lappa was left for me to cover myself. But today, with this donation, my people now have at least something to comfort them,” she stated with gratitude.
For the young girls who were also affected by this disaster, it’s a double disaster for them as their caregivers are now left with zero Leones to buy sanitary pads. As the new month has just begun, some of these young girls were worried as their menstrual cycles are on the way. They therefore appreciated the gesture gladly.
Esther Brima Jah, a student who is probably in her early 20s, is one of the young girls affected by the fire incident. She remarked that she is extremely happy with the donation received. “When I heard ‘fire!fire!’ I ran through the door without anything in my hand, I lost everything! the only thing I could get out was the nightwear that I wore. But I thank God for this support as it is timely. I started seeing my cycle two days ago, sadly, I could not buy a pad because there is no money on me. But with the sanitary pads offered I am super grateful.”
“As an organization that seeks to restore the lost dignity of those we seek to serve, we are happy to have provided these support today to these women and girls here at Culvert,” stated Ishmael Alfred Charles, the Programs Manager of Caritas Freetown.
