By Edward Vamboi
As different types of sickness affect thousands of children in Sierra Leone vis-à-vis accessing good medical treatments there are certain organizations that provide support for these children to be medically treated. One of them is the Sick Pikin Project, which over the years, has done exceptionally well in that direction.
On the 2nd April 2021, the organization stormed the streets on a fund raising exercise geared towards generating finances to be utilized in facilitating medical treatments for children who are critically ill.
According to Alice Johnson, the Coordinator of Sick Pikin Project, it all began with a little baby called, Mustapha, who was diagnosed with a sickness called “bilariatricia” and they facilitated a successful operation to be done on him in India.
She said what ignited them to take to the streets on Good Friday was because they have thirty four (34) sick children who need surgical attention .
Alice intimated that out of the thirty four(34) children fourteen (14) of them are suffering from heart failure and surgeries to be conducted will cost Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000,00) up wards disclosing how they don’t have the upper hand to cater for all the fourteen children for the performance of surgeries and so they decided to solicit assistance from members of the public.
Alice Johnson told journalists that they sometimes they do receive assistance from donors including individuals, groups, families, and even the Government through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. She said they choose to come out on Friday because Good Friday is a better day to beg arms and many Christians and Muslims go out to worship God.
The Coordinator divulge that anyone who wants to donate can contact some of the banks like Zenith Bank and Rokel Commercial Bank.
She gave the Leones Account at Rokel Commercial Bank as 011011647) and the Dollar account as 177398), the Zenith Leones Bank account as 4110173000, its US account as 40701304620.
She called on all private and Government institutions that want to donate to locate them at number 19 Savage Street or contact them on their social media platform, at Sick Pikin Project, stressing that it is significant to aid these sick children and help in saving their lives saying they could be our future leaders.
Alfred Brima Sandy, who is a beneficiary of the Sick Pikin Project, said he came across the institution when his child fell seriously sick and needed urgent medical attention. He revealed that the Sick Pikin Project played a vital role in helping to save the life of the child by championing every aspect of his medical treatment.
He informed journalists that he thought it appropriate to also come on board and join the Sick Pikin Project in their fund raising exercise to help save the lives of children who are dying slowly from various illnesses.
“I feel emotional to go through the streets of Freetown begging just to save one life of a child who might become a future leader of the nation,” he stated.
He also reiterated that the Sick Pikin Project was established to assist sick children whose parents or families do not have the financial strength to cater for their child or children medical treatments saying that at times parents abandon their Sick children in hospitals because of poverty.
Alfred Brima Sandy said as the Sick Pikin Project is struggling to secure funds it is in place that they decided to embark on fund raising.
