Sierra Leone

Hands Across Africa supports two projects in Moyamba, Sierra Leone:

1) The Cluny Sisters offer nursing and rehabilitation services for children and adults in rural Sierra Leone. They specifically target medical conditions that are underserved in the region. People living with debilitating illnesses such as epilepsy and HIV/AIDS can access counselling, medication and nutrition services. In addition, out-patient therapy services are provided to people with disabilities. Hands Across Africa provides funding for medications and staff salaries. In 2008, medical services were provided to 6,827 patients (children and adult) in the out-patient department. The common diseases treated include malaria, epilepsy, pneumonia, diarrhea, STI and malnutrition. Massage therapy was given to 43 patients (27 were below 5 years of age), including stroke patients.

2) The Mustard Seed School and Orphange provides education, housing and life skills training to homeless children. Specifically, children who have physical and cognitive disabilities are provided with education and housing. A great deal of effort is put into reintegrating children with their families wherever possible. In 2007-08, Hands Across Africa provided funding for the construction of a school and an extensive solar electrical system. In addition, the school received computers along with internet access.  It is hoped that the children at the Mustard Seed will have the opportunity to realize their potential through access to quality education and a caring home environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background

Along the western coast of Africa sits a small, but beautiful country called Sierra Leone.  In the village of Moyamba there is a physician from Australia named Sister Ann Stevens, who has been working very hard to assist  people in this war-torn area.  A community rehabilitation centre has been started to support the hundreds of people who were affected by the civil war. Quentin Ranson, co-founder of Hands Across Africa, and occupational therapist at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, spent a year volunteering his time and skills to provide a better life for people affected by the war. Quentin created adaptive devices from local materials that would allow many to acquire trades and skills needed for survival.

Rehabilitation services provided to war-wounded via Sister Ann Stevens of St. Joseph's Convent.

These services will make it possible for kids like Christopher to go to school and study at home.	Adaptive devices can be constructed to assist young amputees, like Bambay, to learn to farm again.

 

Project Update, from Sister Ann Stevens

The centre was funded by a group in New York (Staten Island). They were family and friends of a man, Joe Mandarino, who had been disturbed by the plight of children in Sierra Leone during the war years and had wanted to do something for them. Unfortunately he died before he could follow up on this. The family wanted to do “something” for Sierra Leone as a memorial to him. They had very little idea, however, of what this “something” could realistically be. Through a variety of fortuitous circumstances, I met up with a member of the group and spoke to him about our own dream of a rehabilitation service accessible to people in a provincial area. After a number of discussions with the group members, they agreed to raise funds for the building of a basic facility for the program, to be called the Joe Mandarino Rehabilitation Centre.

The building of the centre was commenced in June 2005 and it was officially opened in November 2005. There are number of great stories within the story of the building.

The contractor, Emanuel Senessie, had been a baker in Kono before the war. When his area was attacked he ended up in the refugee camp in Guinea where our sisters were running a skills training program for women. Bread baking was one of the skills on offer and Emanuel got a job as a trainer. Another skill was basic house construction – the rationale being that most of the women in the program had come from remote villages which had been completely destroyed; many had lost husbands in the fighting & even when it was safe to return, benefits would be slow in coming so if they wanted somewhere to live quickly they were going to have to build it for themselves. Emanuel asked to take part in those classes and became so interested that he set himself to learn as much as he could about the construction business.

At the same time we came in contact with the man responsible for overseeing the school rebuilding program within the ministry of education (Mr Conteh Kamara). He was interested in our work and volunteered his time to go to Moyamba every second weekend, supervising the work but also becoming somewhat of a mentor to Emanuel. It was a relationship which worked extremely well.

Emanuel Senesie, l, with Mr Conteh Kamara, r, checking the site for the centre	Making cement blocks

 

Building in progress – bush scaffolding	The finishing touch

You made note in your last email of the ramp at the entrance to the center. It was a bit of a novelty! And neither Emanuel nor his workers had any experience of constructing one. They got it right on the third attempt. We had few problems also with the idea of a wheelchair accessible latrine. Eventually we had to get a “tester” – Mbalu Kailie - doing wheelies so builders could measure her wheelchair’s turning circle, and demonstrating what an inappropriate slope did to her balance. She managed in a couple of demonstrations to get across to the builders what I had been trying unsuccessfully to explain.

Mbalu is a participant in the vocational training aspect of our overall program. She is learning tailoring at a skills centre run by FAWE in Moyamba. An agency in Holland, Liliane Fonds, assists with funds for equipment and materials for the youngsters so we were able to purchase a hand operate machine for Mbalu as the centre only had the pedal machines. If some bright cookie comments on the blue thread for the orange cloth in the picture it is because I turned up to take the pictures while they were doing literacy class, so Mbalu picked up the nearest bit of cloth to pose with for the picture and nobody noticed the thread colour until we saw the pictures!

Mbalu Kailie on the ramp. She is well able to self-propel, but her brother wanted to be in the picture as well.

 

Mbalu at her machine at the FAWE skills centre

Mariatu Kamara, age three and a half years, had not walked since she suffered a febrile illness about one year previously. Sr Joyce got some local carpenters to make a standing frame for Mariatu to use and her brother spent time each day playing with Mariatu while she was in the frame. When she was able to weight bear, the same carpenter worked at making a wooden toy she could use to walk with. Mariatu is now in the pre-school near the centre. While she is still not confident walking unaided, she blossoming in the new environment. Her mother, Sarah, spoke at the opening ceremony. She emphasized the need for patience in the process of rehabilitation. We have the problem of people coming expecting a tablet or injection to make them, or their children, better. The need for regular attendance is not yet well understood or accepted.

 

Mariatu is put in the standing frame by her mother and an assistant. At the edge of the photo her brother is unloading the blocks that will keep them occupied while she is the frame.

 

Mariatu beginning to walk

 

A delightful portrait of Mariatu and Sarah at the time of the centre opening.

 

Sudie Lahai is 14 years of age. She has been a client of our epilepsy management program in Moyamba for the past four years. Initially the epilepsy program concentrated on the control of fits through regular supply of medication and on promoting community acceptance of people with epilepsy. We noticed that a significant number of the people enrolled in the program had other associated physical disabilities. The lack of anywhere accessible to refer these people for treatment was one of the factors that led us to explore the possibility of having a basic rehabilitation service in Moyamba district. Few people could afford the time or expense of traveling to Freetown or Bo for the necessary care.

Sudie Lahai

On the outskirts of Moyamba lives an amazing woman, Mummy Deborah, who cares for orphans and abandoned children. Among the 20 children she has with her are 7 with physical disabilities who have been abandoned by their families. These children are seen regularly now for treatment. The picture shows Mummy Deborah with Mohamed, who has cerebral palsy. The child she is carrying was abandoned at birth by her schoolgirl mother.

Mummy Deborah with Mohamed

Christina, 25 years old, developed acute juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 15 years. She lives in an isolated village and was virtually bed-ridden for this time. It was not possible for the family to bring her to Moyamba for treatment, so Sr Joyce started visiting the village fortnightly. Initially she was unable to do anything for herself, but she now has enough movement in one arm to allow her to feed herself. Accessing a wheelchair for her has meant she can now be moved out of the house. She lives next to the village school and arrangements were made for her to attend daily to help with younger children – telling stories, teaching songs & rhymes.

Christina with Sr Joyce, working under a tree in the village