A recent investigation carried out by SALONE TIMES has indicated that many schools don’t have an adequate number of books and teaching materials for all the students they have enrolled.

“It’s difficult, very difficult. You can’t teach without books,” a teacher at a Government Assisted School tells us.

He goes on to say that many of the children in his class must share the books they have.

“Not all us of have textbooks so we read together in class. I am lucky because my grand-mother bought one for me,” a student in the same school tells us, “they should supply more books to us.”

Most of the books in many school libraries are provided for by various NGOs like, Plan International. There aren’t any Government teaching materials in the Government Assisted schools we investigated.

The teacher SALONE TIMES spoke to admits that when it comes to examinations, many of the students may have poor results because they don’t have access to books outside of school to study. He says he has heard from several people that books are either being stolen from the Ministry of Education, or people involved with the Ministry are selling them, therefore a smaller number of books are ending up in schools.

The Head of the English Department at St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Miss M. Smith-Turner, tells us the situation has been like this for decades now.

“You must not wait for the Government. It’s a matter of priority and it is negligence on the part of parents. Books should be a priority,” she says.

She goes on to say that a big problem is that the previous Minister of Education made buying textbooks optional for students. According to her, it’s impossible for children to learn without books.

“Government doesn’t supply us with any books at all,” she says.

The school has a book store, where they sell books to the children.

A bit further down the road is the Municipal School Dr. June Holst Roness This School received books from Government during the last academic year. They distribute them when they have classes and then gather them up at the end of the class.

“We have enough for a class at a time, but if we allow the books to go home with the children, most of them will go missing,” says Mr. Abu Bakarr Kamara, Vice-Principal of the School.

He says they do not receive reference books from the Government, and the school must buy those themselves. He admits results could be less on examinations because of the lack of teaching materials. He shows SALONE TIMES the books they receive, which are stamped with their school logo, and that of the Ministry’s to ensure if they are found being sold on the streets, they will be able to trace the books back.

In Waterloo District, the Western Area Rural District Council is currently in the process of distributing books to all the schools.

“We make sure all teachers sign, stamp, and date them so we can track them and not have the books end up being sold on the street,” says J.J. Blacki, Head of the Education Committee.

He admits that in the past thieves have broken into schools in the district and stolen books.

“The police also need to help us monitor the books being sold in the streets,” he says.

He also calls on members of the press to give information of any books they see on the streets to the authorities.

Education Officer for Freetown City Council Henry Fyfe, tells SALONE TIMES about the ongoing exercise of distributing teaching materials to the schools.

“All books must be stamped by FCC and the school itself,” he says.

He went on to say they are making announcements on the radio saying that books should be kept in the schools. They also communicate this practice to the councilors.

“If we see the books in the streets, we know where they came from,” Fyfe says.

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Author: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Photography: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Source: jhr
Original Publication Date: Nov. 20, 2009

A dozen street children living and working around the King Jimmy market in the central part of Freetown have expressed dissatisfaction over their current conditions.

“I was in Class 6 when I lost my dad and my mother refused to pay for my school,” says Mohammed, an11-year-old selling water.

His mother is currently in the northern part of the country and he ended up in Freetown working for an aunt. He no longer attends school and is living in Kroo Bay.

“I would really like to continue school if somebody can help,” he says.

Many of the children in the area spend their time gambling, smoking and drinking to pass the day. But not all of them. Ibrahim is a boy of about 11-years-old who lost both of his parents last year. He spends his days making toys and radios out of materials that he finds in the surrounding area. Quiet, and shy, the other children tell us he is different than most. He doesn’t spend his time engaging in bad activities.

“I find it difficult to survive. If anybody can help me I’ll go to school,” he says.

Sheku, a boy from Lungi, left his parents and came to Freetown with the hope that he can be a good child by going to school but he let his sister down and came to the streets.

He was arrested by a Metropolitan police officer in front of Central Police Station due to a new bye-law proposed by City Council trying to stop children from selling in the streets during school hours.

“I was released immediately because they knew me from the King Jimmy area,” he says.

They did not press any charges.

None of the children are aware that there is a proposed new bye-law by Freetown City Council that states any children caught selling during school hours should be arrested.

According to the Deputy Education Officer for the Freetown City Council, there is a high-influx of children coming to the city from the provinces.

“We caught them for a while and sent them to education facilities but there are still many children on the streets. We aren’t sure if they are the same ones or if more children are coming from the provinces,” says Reverend Cooper, Deputy Education Officer.

He goes on to say they have not fined the parents for having their children working. He says they have children coming in every day that have been apprehended and they make sure they are given money for school.

“Yesterday alone we had five children come in,” he says.

The Council is also offering grants from primary to tertiary for schoolchildren.

According to Henry Fyfe, Education Officer for the Council, the bye-law still needs to be sanctioned by the Attorney General after which it can be implemented.

“We currently aren’t forcing the children using aggressive methods, we are simply trying to put them in school,” he says.

He says they try to find guardians for children who are without parents in addition to enrolling them in school.

“We want to get children off the streets whether they have parents or not,” he says.

According to UNICEF, more than 30 per cent of children of primary-school-age in Sierra Leone are not enrolled in school. There are also moderate transition rates from primary to secondary and tertiary education.

Child labour is an area of concern for UNICEF’s Child Protection Department.

“As an institution we frown on child labour. We try to educate communities to stop child labour, especially the worst abuses of it,” says David Lamin, Child Protection Program Officer for UNICEF.

UNICEF looks at all children trying to access education and the factors preventing them from accessing it. They work through partners, child welfare committees and community structures recognized by the government.

“In a country like Sierra Leone, where poverty is rife, child labour is a big problem,” says Lamin.

UNICEF also supports the roll out of the Child Rights Act. Sierra Leone ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in June 1990 and its two Optional Protocols in September 2001 and May 2002. These commitments to international standards were all enshrined in national legislation through the 2007 Child Rights Act. This act supersedes all other national laws and is also compatible with the Convention on Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

—–

Author: Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
Source: jhr
Original publication date: Nov. 23, 2009
Photography: Nikki Whaites

In a bid to meet the challenge of rising crime in the city, Lumley Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has called on partners to offer more support.

“We already have many resources such as vehicles and fuel supplied for by Government but we could use additional resources,” says CID Inspector Kamanoh.

He has worked as a police officer in Sierra Leone for 20 years. He sometimes ends up having to pay for food for the detained suspects of crime held in the cell at the division out of his own pocket.

“That is my duty as the officer in charge to do that. I have to make sure I take care of prisoners and that they are in good health,” he says.

Three months ago the UN donated four containers to try to ease the congestion of the division. One is being used as a Support and Operational office, another for Traffic and two for restrooms. The structure of the division is too small to accommodate all the offices they need to run the operations. The land on which the Division lays is large, and could accommodate more structures.

“The Division is too small for the amount of crime we see,” says another Inspector.

In that day alone when SALONE TIMES visits, they have already apprehended three suspects. The only cell the prison has is tiny, not even big enough for prisoners to lie down in. Inspector Kamanoh stresses that the officers in the division always do things according to law.

“In our Division, we respect Human Rights. We don’t arrest indiscriminately,” he says.

He goes on to say that the Division’s main aim is for people in the area to be secure.

“We do this by being proactive. We prevent crimes from happening. We also work with Military officers and police patrol the beach at all hours of the night,” he says.

Lumley Police Officers also face many threats from accused criminals.

“We are the public enemy,” says Inspector Kamanoh.

On the day that SALONE TIMES visits, the Inspector has already received one death threat from a suspect they had apprehended that was released by the court.

He would like to see the courts support the officers more in bringing criminals to justice.

“Sometimes we arrest suspects, they are released by the courts and then we become targets,” he says.

——–
Author: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Photography: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Source: jhr
Original Publication Date: Dec. 4, 2009

Drug abuse in Sierra Leone is robbing children of their right to a childhood and adults of their right to live a productive life. Starting with the National Drugs Enforcement Act 2008, the government of Sierra Leone not only recognised this issue but is now trying their best to sensitise the public on the adverse effects of drug abuse.

This situation is currently a major hindrance to the development of youth as they are the most vulnerable to drugs and the highest affected group. Jonathan Spencer, director of the Just Say No To Drugs campaign says there are no statistics on drug abuse available in the country but assures that the numbers are sure to be quite alarming

The causes of drug abuse are many. One is the lack of employment. Some also take drugs to ease their mind and kill out the worries. Others feel neglected by family and decide to belong to the ghetto. Some take drugs because of the experience and some girls also follow their loved one. Cultism is another major cause of drugs and they take it on oath.

According to Mr Kandeh Bangura, director of National Drugs Enforcement Agency government is involving all members of society in the fight against drugs by expanding its activities to all provinces instead of just Freetown. The involvement of religious leaders and village elders into this fight is also one measure to sensitise the public. Some civil society organisations like the NDEA have embarked on a massive awareness and sensitisation campaign to help in their fights and also formed a football team called Anti Drugs Striker.

Drug Abuse poses a security threat in society as there is increase in corruption and violence including prostitution and gangs. It also makes way for low output in adults as they are not able to work because of sleep and drowsiness. Drug abuses also make youth more ineffective and talk unnecessarily. It can also cause impotency in men and miscarriage or still birth among pregnant women. Changes in behaviour and physical appearance are also effects of drug abuse. Forced drug abuse was also used to encourage children to fight in the civil war.

Since the landing of a plane full of cocaine in 2008 the government has decided to strengthen its laws on drug abuse and trafficking. But according to Pastor Gobeh, head counselor at the City of Rest Church, “it is not what is on paper but how we implement them.”

High penalty on drug abuse and drug peddlers should be enforced. The rehabilitation of addicts is critical. Sensitisation and preventive education and awareness-raising campaigns are already underway.

Along with this, the criminal justice system also needs to be revisited so that youths are sent to rehabilitation centres instead of prison. The government should also provide adequate counseling services. The hurdles to cross are many, but awareness is the first step.

For more information contact the Drug Awareness Campaign on 076 630 539

Despite the fact that Sierra Leone has signed the UN Citizen Charter on Consumer Protection, the rate of expired foods and products in the domestic market has been on the increase.

At the moment, the markets are flooded with products like Arrow Paste which expired in 2006, Glucose biscuits expired in May 2009 and Tiger Finger Batteries expired in May 2004 And these are only a few of many.

These products enter the country through border towns and by sea from Europe. In Sierra Leone it is the Standards Bureau that is responsible for checking the quality of these goods. Head of Standardization at the Sierra Leone Standard Bureau, Mr Amadu Bah stated that “even though routine checking is done, business people use local harbours to bring some of these goods into the country especially at night, using deceptive methods to bypass government officials like the National Revenue Authority, Standard Bureau and other partner agencies.”

He noted that when products arrive into the country there should be six months left for them to expire and this check is carried out at the Queen Elizabeth II quay. “If any of these imported products are found to be expired then the vessel is sent back or the product is dumped.” For instance, a rice vessel and also poultry that recently returned to where they came from. “At times when we are trying to dump certain groups create objections in protest of the goods not to be dumped in order to retrieve it for consumption,” Mr Bah added.

However, many of these products remain in the stores for months often because they are too expensive like tinned powdered milk, sardines and alcohol. And when they near expiry they are sold at attractive prices to street vendors who in turn sell it cheap to the consumer.

Consuming expired products can lead to sicknesses like skin rashes, diarrhea and frequent headaches. One consumer Aminata Dumbuya at Sackville Street expressed concern about expired products but stated that “due to poverty in this country consumer don’t want to know whether a product has expired or not, because of low price together can purchase it and consume.”

The lack of a Consumer Protection Act is a serious concern in this regard. According to Mr Abu Bakarr Kabbah, president of the Consumer Protection Council, “there is a proposed draft bill that will be forwarded to parliament in a couple of weeks through the ministries of Trade and Presidential Affairs. Another problem is the lack of consumer education to tell people that cheaper products are not better.

Mabinty Kamara, a vendor at Sani Abacha Street noted that some consumers are highly aware of such expired products but still purchase it. “If the bill becomes law then stores will be forced to discard their goods to us much earlier and we will be happy to sell products that are safe and not expired,” she says.

One in eight pregnant women in Sierra Leone has a chance of dying at childbirth. Due to the lack of adequate medical services, they are being denied their basic human right to maternal health. According to UNICEF, presently Sierra Leone is ranked the worst country in the world in this respect.

Maternal mortality is a very complex and critical problem. David Shermutt of Amnesty International feels that it amounts to discrimination against women. “Governments should put more emphasis on this because it is only women who are dying,” he said.

Among the challenges faced by the gobernment are hospital conditions i.e. conditions of service for meducal and health workers, hospital policy and equaipments. There is no proper record system to record deaths cases as medical doctors are unable to account for deaths. There is the fear of cost factor as some women don’t go to the hospital because of the registration fee they have to pay.

There is also poor access to health information. There are primitive conceptions held by people living in rural and provincial areas; some women prefer traditional midwives who are not trained and use unsterilised equipment.

When President Ernest Bai Koroma came to power, he made combating the high rate of maternal mortality a priority of his government and launched the Reproductive Child Health Programme in February 2009. To combat and reduce the high rate of maternal mortality, the government and other major stakeholders including UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO have put in place various strategies.

According to Jonathan Abbas Kamaram the Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the government has shown its strong commitment to take up this situation. They are trying to introduce a policy to cover free cost of reproductive health. “We are trying to make free care accessible to all pregnant women in the government hospitals,” he said.

The government is now on a caravan campaign to sensitise the mass public on the situation and how best we could prevent it. They are trying to encourage women to avoid local herbalists and go to the hospitals. At the same time they are also looking into condition of service for medical and health officers to avoid brain drain of experts. Recently the ministry launched the ‘mami en pikin well bodi week’ which is one of their initiatives to combat maternal mortality.

However, more needs to be done in terms of practicalisation. According to Dr, Rashidatu Kamara of Connaught Hospital, “the government should also try to combat the high rate of teenage pregnancy.” Solomon Sobangdi, coordinator at Amnesty International feels that instead of talking endlessly about it, the government should enforce practical measures. There needs to be more education, stronger monitoring and increasing women’s awareness of their right to emergency obstetric care.

For more information contact Jonathan Abbas Kamara, Ministry of Health and Sanitation at 076678021

Photo Credit: http://sierraleone1968-70.blogspot.com/2008/09/warren-van-hoos-was-peace-corps.html

In Small Bo chiefdom Kenema district, as in much of Sierra Leone, women are still deprived of inheriting property left behind by their husbands.

It is a burning issue even though the Devolution of Estate Act, which was passed in 2007, criminalizes the act of depriving a woman from inheriting her husband’s property after his death. The act further states that it is an offense to eject a surviving spouse or child from the matrimonial home before the formal distribution of the estate.

A woman in the streets of Freetown.

Chapter three of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone states that the fundamental human rights and freedom of every individual in Sierra Leone must be recognized and protected.

Article 23 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the right to equality in marriage. This means that men and women have the same rights and responsibilities during the marriage and at its dissolution.

Despite this, none of the women in Wiama village in the Small Bo chiefdom in Kenema district own land.

When Jatu Lansana’s husband died some years back, her own family wanted to take her to another community. But her husband’s family refused on the grounds that she has given birth to children in the family and it would be unfair to take all the children to another family.

“I was here for five years without a husband,” Lansana said. “All the property my husband left behind was taken away from me. I was abandoned by both my husband’s family and even my children.”

One of her husband’s brothers decided to marry her. She denied because of the difficulties she had undergone, but was forced to agree.

Mamie Kamoh said the vast cocoa and coffee plantations left behind by their father were claimed by her three younger brothers on the pretext that they are the head of the family and they take care of the home while she is away with her husband.

It is stated in the Devolution of Estate Act that where there are only children left, each child should get an equal share of the estate.

“Since my brothers started working in I have not received anything from them. I requested for Le 50,000 to pay the school feels for my son but there was no money,” Kamoh said.

“The other time I attempted to enter the plantation I was sued to a native court in which I was fined Le 100,000. I felt dejected because the property by right belongs to all of us.”

A Sierra Leonean woman.

Tajoh Mamoh wanted to construct a two-room building on her family land, and told her family and the town chiefs about it.

“It was at that moment that my brother informed that chiefs that he wanted to construct a house on the same land,” she said. “I was deprived because the land was given to my brother. Up till now he has not started the construction.”

Being able to inherit and own property means women can be self reliant and provide for their children on their own.

Part of the problem is that many people do not know about the new Devolution of Estate Act, which was passed in 2007. To help address this, the Lawyer’s Center for Legal Action (LAWCLA) has put the new laws into clear language that is easier to understand.

Doris Kalle, the regional coordinator for the Coalition of Women’s Movement, said her organization has also embarked on a massive sensitization campaign in the district. They are educating women and traditional authorities on the new laws.

“A lot of women have been mainly complaining about the distribution of property especially plantations left behind by their husbands,” she said.

“We are still faced with the situation where men feel their wives are property to them. We don’t have proper bylaws that clearly define the rights of women in this community,” she said, adding that it is imperative to explain the gender acts in local languages so that people will understand.

The Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), a non-governmental organization based in Kenema, is using radio programmes to educate people about the new laws.

Patrick Adu, who works with the MRD, said in the case of property devolution, the general practice in remote communities is that the widow herself is regarded as a property to be inherited together with the deceased husband’s property.

If she does marry one of her late husband’s brothers, she may enjoy whatever benefit he derives from the estate. In the event the wife refuses to be “inherited” by one of the husband’s relations, only her personal belongings will be given her.

Young Sierra Leoneans.

Adu said that when a woman decides not marry her husband’s relations, traditional divorce laws may be invoked, keeping her from getting the property. “This is responsible for most of the problems in our villages,” he said.

Generally under the customary law, the widow is not entitled to take out letters of administration; such rights are given to the eldest surviving male in the deceased’s family. If the wife succeeds to get any property at all, she will only be given one-third of it.

Local bylaws are used in most parts of the country.

According to David Kallon, a court clerk of native administrative Court No. 4 in Kenema, the chiefdom committee drafts the laws and passes it on to the local chief administrator for approval.

But the bylaws currently in use were drafted in 1963 and have not been updated with any new laws, such as the gender acts.

He said the court only gets involved with disputes when someone makes a complaint. That means that people must understand the laws.

“We don’t call on cases from either the woman or her husband’s family but if there is any conflict among them it is the responsibility of the aggrieved to report to the court so that the court can make a ruling,” he explained.

Another problem, he said, is that the local courts lack the support to adjudicate cases properly. This leads to delays.

“Court officers are not paid. Our bylaws are not properly written. These are all compounded in the delay in of justices in our communities,” Kallon said.

Jennah Kandeh, the deputy minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, expressed the government’s commitment to ensure that the gender laws are properly implemented in the interest of women and society.

She said the law was instituted to put an end to impunity against women and children.

Kandeh said her ministry has established a committee that is devoted to the sensitization campaign so that women at grassroots communities and their local authorities understand the new laws.

“We know that women are going through a lot of difficulties but with the concerted efforts by women’s organizations like the 50-50 Group and other partners in the fight, much will be achieved though community sensitization,” she said.

Kumba Kamara stranded on the side of her house.

Click here to listen.

It seems nothing galvanizes us more than the state of our health care. Wherever we live in Canada, and in North America , we find the system wanting. But it is a system most can only dream about.

In Sierra Leone, it is often a struggle just to stay alive. Here most people don’t have access to proper health care so they go without, or rely on traditional medicine to heal the sick and wounded. In today’s installment of ‘Postcards from Sierra Leone’, Rachael Borlase learns how some of world’s poorest patients are being treated.

jhr Trainer, Rachael Borlase, worked on a six-part series about life and work in Sierra Leone. Her adventures and reflections were broadcasted on CBC Radio throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.