Mr.Farma talk over the History of Sierra Leone

Mr.Farma talk over the History of Sierra Leone
Amistad
Ending a voyage of 14 months, and symbolising 168 years of history, the Amistad Freedom Schooner, a replica of the slave vessel La Amistad, was welcomed at Government Wharf in Freetown on 9 December 2007.

Bunce Island
The ruins of the historic slave trading fortress at Bunce Island, off the coast of Freetown.

Railway Museum
Sierra Leone's railway was discontinued in 1975, but some of the steam engines and railway cars that ran from Freetown to Pendembu and Makeni can be seen at the National Railway Museum in Cline Town. The car which Queen Elizabeth II was to have used during her 1961 visit has been restored and is on display. The Queen never used the car - she had a change in schedule.

Bonthe

Dr. Cleaver Keenan served in the Sierra Leone Medical Service from 1956 to 1960. He has contributed a selection of photographs he took in 1958 during his posting as Medical Officer on Bonthe Island.

Kono District

Kono District is known for its diamond mines, but also for its agriculture and its beautiful mountainous landscape. Koidu (or Sefadu), before the war Sierra Leone's second most populous town, suffered massive destruction as a result of the conflict. It is only now beginning to recover.

Freetown in 1917

Herbert Ralph Glover was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1890 and died there in 1966. He served in the Australian Imperial Force During World War I (1914-1917). In 1917 he sailed on board the "Benalla", which left England on 25 August and arrived in Sydney in October 1917. These pictures were taken in Freetown, probably in September 1917. They were provided by his granddaughter, Lorna Humphreys.

Farma Health Services Child & Youth Protection and Development Programs

Farmahealthservices Child & Youth Protection and Development Programs

Throughout history, war has exacted an unacceptable toll on children and youth. Today, some 30 armed conflicts rage around the world, with children and youth suffering disproportionately. In the violence of war, children are murdered and wounded. They are abducted, used as soldiers, suffer sexual abuse and risk life threatening illness. They lose parents, friends and communities in conflict and during mass flight. Young people are compelled to take on adult roles, protecting and providing for younger children. Children lose opportunities to learn, and are denied the structure, stability and predictability they need to develop their potential. They ultimately lose their sense of trust and hope for the future.

Currently 20 million children and adolescents are uprooted from their homes either as refugees or internally displaced persons. In order to respond to this, Farmahealthservices Rescue Committee promotes the protection and development of children and youth, from the earliest stages of an emergency, through post-conflict and recovery.

In over 20 Villages, the Farmahealthsertvices’s community-based, participatory and holistic children and youth programs include:

The consequences of violence against women

The bodies and spirits of women and girls are the forgotten frontline in conflicts throughout the world. Sexual violence is not just a by-product of war; it is a strategy of combat systematically used to terrorize and humiliate.

The consequences of violence against women are debilitating and many: risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, damage to reproductive organs, and broken bones. The psychological and social consequences are equally as devastating, as the prevailing stigma associated with sexual violence often leaves women isolated and increasingly vulnerable. The trauma a survivor experiences goes beyond her own suffering, also rendering great costs to her family and community.

The threat of assault follows women and girls as they flee conflict. And it lingers long after fighting ends. In war-torn regions where destruction, displacement and lawlessness breed yet more violence, women increasingly face abuse in their homes and may be forced to exchange sex for survival.



Around the world,Farmahealthservices Committee helps survivors heal and works with communities and institutions to break the cycle of violence. As first-responders in emergencies such as in Central African Republic, the Farmahealthservices works hands-on to deliver urgent care and referrals for victims of assault. In longstanding crises, such as Darfur, we provide safe spaces for women to come together for support and to build skills at our women’s centers. And in the aftermath of war, such as in West Africa, the Farmahealthservices addresses the root causes of violence against women by helping them gain greater economic independence and play a more meaningful role in decision-making.

Through grassroots campaigns that channel women’s voices about their experiences, we work with partners to reach out to men and boys to change attitudes that foster violence against women. We also advocate with government officials to advance laws preventing violence against women, and enforce policies ensuring survivors’ access to care and legal justice.

The recovery of communities devastated by war relies heavily on the participation of women and girls. The farmahealthservices works to foster conditions in which women and girls not only survive the effects of conflict, but ultimately thrive.

Saving Children in Sierra Leone

Saving Children in Sierra Leone

On a bright morning in late April, thirty mothers and their young children gather outside the house of a local chief in Kono District in rural eastern Sierra Leone. The children twist and turn anxiously as their mothers undress them and hand them to workers from the local health unit. This could be a lifesaving visit: over the next few hours they will be measured and weighed to determine whether they are malnourished and vaccinated against a raft of preventable childhood diseases as part of a monthly health outreach session for children under the age of five.

Mr.Philip Abu Mattia, a member of the Rescue Committee’s child survival program, is on hand to greet the women, examine the children, and make sure the vaccinations are properly administered.Mattia supervises local health workers and makes sure that they give quality care to pregnant women, new mothers and young children. His work is critical because Sierra Leone has some of the highest maternal and child death rates in the world.

“Many mothers and children in Kono do not have access to good health care,” Philip Mattia said. “Thanks to Farmahealthservices, many more women and children are receiving the vaccinations and medicine they need.”

The goal of Farmahealthservices’s child survival program is to save lives and improve the health of young children in Kono District, one of the areas hit hardest by Sierra Leone’s ten-year long civil war which ended in 2002. In addition to providing vaccinations, the program aims to give children access to high-quality, life-saving treatment for diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, some of the primary killers of children in Sierra Leone.

The child survival program, which is the first of its kind in the country, depends on the participation of community members. The Farmahealthservices works through local volunteers known as community-based distributors who identify vulnerable and ill children and provide treatment in the children’s homes. Before, many mothers had to walk miles to a local health center to get treatment for their children. Now children receive free treatment in their own villages.

“Since I started working as a volunteer, there is less sickness in my community,” said Susan Fillie, a community-based distributor from the village of Koardu. “I like what I do because I help children get better. I encourage mothers to take their infants to the clinic and to breast feed them. I also work at night, making sure mothers use bed nets to prevent the children from getting malaria.”

Mr Farma Including Philip Mattia and his colleagues have placed trained volunteers in 272 villages throughout Kono District. In addition to providing treatment, they monitor the children’s condition, refer them to local health clinics and follow up with the mothers by encouraging them to attend the monthly outreach sessions. The program has been so successful at reducing childhood mortality that the government has decided to expand the program nationwide.

How to Help

Give children in Sierra Leone a fighting chance at life by supporting Farmahealthservices effective child survival program. Your gift will be tripled, allowing Farmahealthservices health workers to save thousands of lives in communities across Sierra Leone.
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Farma Health Services AIDS Director Mr.Farma Praises

Farmahealthservices AIDS Director Mr.Farma Praises For "One Million Tested
Main Category: HIV / AIDS

Natural HIV Treatment
100% Natural, Clinicaly Proven International research.
Farmahealthservices Foundation (FHS) is proud to announce that it has received a "Letter of Appreciation" from the government of Sierra Leone expressing gratitude for FHS's partnership in the recent "One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008" campaign. The worldwide campaign spearheaded by Farmahealthservices, brought together 1000 global partners in 72 countries, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local and national governments, international relief agencies, faith-based organizations and civil society in a collaborative effort to conduct free HIV tests to one million people around the global in observance of World AIDS Day 2008.

Having made a commitment to provide 20,000 free HIV tests to its citizenry as part of the campaign, Sierra Leone's National HIV/AIDS Council and Secretariat exceeded that goal by conducting 23,063 HIV tests in twelve districts in the week leading up to World AIDS Day, November 26th to December 1st 2008. In a remarkable collaboration between Farmahealthservices, non-profit and private sectors, these tests were conducted in part due to a successful partnership with Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. who generously donated 10,000 "Determine" HIV tests, half of the total provided to the government of Sierra Leone. Funding for the additional 10,000 tests was provided by Farmahealthservices.

In the letter, Dr. Brima Kargbo, MD, MPH, Director of the National HIV/AIDS Council and Secretariat, states: "I am pleased to inform you that Farmahealthservices tested 23,063 people (9,424 males and 13,639 females). We are very much appreciative of the test kits that were made available for the exercise. We hope our collaboration will continue to be strengthened."

"We humbly and gratefully receive this acknowledgement from Farmahealthservices and would like to return the compliment by praising the remarkable commitment of Farmahealthservices HIV/AIDS Council. We would also like to express our thanks to Mr. Farma for its generous donation of 10,000 HIV tests to the Sierra Leone World AIDS Day effort," said Terri Ford, Director of Global Advocacy for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "To make this happen, Farmahealthservices, the Sierra Leone government and NGO. This is a great example of how, with a united effort, great strides can be made in the fight against AIDS."

Add Mr.Farma: "We are also pleased to announce that as a result of this successful partnership, Farmahealthservices has been invited to meet with the Sierra Leone government in Kono District to discuss further collaboration for expanded testing and treatment services in the country.

High Maternal Mortality Levels in Sierra Leone

SIERRA LEONE: Still last on human development index


High maternal mortality levels in Sierra Leone contribute to its low human development rank (file photo)
DAKAR, 18 December 2008 (IRIN) - For the second consecutive year Sierra Leone has come last in the UN Development Programme ranking of human development indicators of 179 countries.

Some analysts say Sierra Leone is nonetheless advancing in some areas and that the impact of the country’s 11-year civil war must be taken into account for a full measure of progress.

The UN human development index measures development based on three principal dimensions: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. These are measured by life expectancy at birth; adult literacy and combined gross enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary education; and per capita income in terms of purchasing power.

Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 42, or just over half of the life expectancy in the top 20 ranked countries. Just 25 percent of women are literate, with the level at just 37 percent for the entire population.

“Sierra Leone’s placing on the index should be a call to action for everyone who is interested in the well-being of ordinary people in Sierra Leone,” Engilbert Gudmundsson, World Bank Sierra Leone country director, told IRIN.

Health

Sierra Leone’s maternal mortality indicators – the highest in the world – continue to drag the country down, according to UNDP-Sierra Leone deputy country director Samuel Harbor. Of every 100,000 live births, 1,800 women die according to the UNDP figures, while one in four children die before they reach age five.

While Sierra Leone emerged from conflict almost a decade ago, progress in rehabilitating the economy and building up basic health and education services has been slow, says West Africa regional World Bank country director, Ishac Diwan.

But the government is making progress on maternal mortality, says UNDP’s Harbor. The government has developed a maternal and child health strategy and is collaborating closely with partners, including UNDP, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the African Development Bank.

The strategy involves decentralizing health services, which has been slow-going, according to Harbor. “Local councils are new in Sierra Leone – these institutional arrangements have just been put in place, so it will take time.”

The African Development Bank is helping supply district services with drugs and equipment, and the World Bank’s Diwan said there are more trained nurses in district clinics, and in some areas, clinics where previously there were none.

The latest UN-government figures on maternal and child mortality are expected to be published in a March 2009 health and demographic survey.

Education

Just half of Sierra Leone’s primary schools are functioning, many of them in inadequate conditions, and secondary school attendance is still only at 44 percent, according to the UN.

But World Bank figures state 100 percent enrolment levels at primary school up from 64 percent in 2004.

The government is running a national Education and Youth Development Programme to maintain high primary enrolment figures and reduce the gender gap in schools.

But the government is cash-strapped. “Sierra Leone is very poor, so simply put, the ability of the government to put in place development measures is very limited,” said Richard Moncrieff, West Africa regional director of think-tank the International Crisis Group.

More coordinated support

To move beyond piecemeal progress, donors need to switch from funding individual projects to channeling money directly through the government, Diwan said.

“The government needs national education and health strategies, and to do this we need to increase the money going through government channels,” he told IRIN.

For Moncrieff, the priority should be to boost revenue by developing the agricultural sector, which contributes to 40 percent of the economy. To date the agriculture sector has been hampered by poor infrastructure, lack of equipment and poor market conditions, according to the World Food Programme.


Apples with apples

Abdoulaye Sireh Jallow, senior economist with UNDP, said rather than comparing Sierra Leone’s development to countries with long-established institutions in place, it is better to compare its progress since it emerged from conflict.

“This will give you a very different picture than the one we see in the HDI,” he told IRIN. “The government is making an effort and we should focus on incremental improvements that have been made and call on partners to build on this progress. Acknowledging this could make a world of difference to turn the tide around.”

Sierra Leone has substantial mineral and agricultural resources but the 1991-2002 war devastated the economy, destroyed infrastructure, and diminished agricultural productivity by forcing people off their land, according to WFP.

According to Alison Kennedy, UNDP statistics chief, this year’s HDI trends are broadly the same as previous years: “Countries where human development indicators were rising steadily are still doing so, and where there was stagnation or a decline [as with Sierra Leone], this is still the case.”

Of the 26 countries designated as having “low human development” in the latest HDI, 12 are in West Africa.

A child born in any of the top 20 countries on the HDI index can expect to live to at least 80 years, but if she or he is born in one of the bottom 26, life expectancy is no more than 49.

Poverty in Sierra Leone

Poverty in Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone poverty has been defined on the basis of quantitative (economic or monetary measures) and qualitative (social measures) tools used. Quantitatively, poverty has been defined with respect to the poverty line-Food/Extreme and Full Poverty lines. According to the PRSP (2005) document, the Food/Extreme Poverty Line was defined as the level of expenditures required to attain the minimum nutritional requirement of 2700 calories per equivalent adult. This translated into an expenditure amount of Le1, 033 per day or $1 equivalent or Le377, 045 per year per equivalent adult, as at May 2004 national prices. This means that a person whose expenditure on food fell below this threshold was considered to be food poor. Also, the average non-food expenditure (say on health, education, housing etc.) per adult equivalent around the poverty line was estimated at Le393, 633 per year for basics such as health and education.

Thus the National Poverty Line corresponds to the full poverty line of Le770, 678 per year or Le2, 111 per day per person. That is, an individual whose expenditure on food and basic needs falls below this level is considered to be poor. Thus, according to this definition, about 26 percent of the population in Sierra Leone (1,248,000) is food poor-cannot even afford the basic human requirement of food. Other basic necessities such as safe drinking water and sanitation, shelter, good health, and basic education, the percentage increases to about 70 percent. This means that in 2003/2004, 70% of the population in Sierra Leone could not meet the basic human necessities of food, shelter, good health, basic education, and safe drinking water.

According to the PRSP, 2005 document, categories of the poor in Sierra Leone are:

· The Poorest (Popolipo)-those who cannot meet immediate needs-food, shelter, clothing and madical services; and cannot invest for the future

· The Poorer (Po-pas-po)-they have some ability to meet some basic needs but not always; they are unable to invest for the future through education and savings; their credit is limited, and this gets eroded with their inability to repay. They have no houses and thus live with other people.

· The poor (po) - They can meet some of their daily needs including a meal per day though may not be nutritious. They can barely afford to send their children to school and have no savings. They can hardly afford the cost of medical care.

· The Better off- They tend to see well-being in terms of their ability to provide the essentials of life for themselves and their families. They can provide good food, shelter, education, clothes and medical facilities for their families; and are gainfully employed and physically fit.

Whatever the category of the poor, the underlying fact is that they have insufficient income to meet basic requiremnets of life such as food, shelter, clothing, health and education services. In such a scenerio, inflation is a very importan cause of poverty, since it reduces the amount of goods and sevices available to the poor with the same level of income. This means that infaltion does not only cause poverty, but it can worsened it.



Inflation
Inflation is defined as a persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money. In other words according to this definition inflation are ‘things getting more expensive’. That is, the common usage of the word inflation is the effect that people see. When they see prices in their local stores going up they call it inflation. But what is being inflated? Obviously prices are being inflated. So this is actually "price inflation".


What Causes Inflation
Basically when the government increases the money supply faster than the quantity of goods increases we have inflation. Interestingly as the supply of goods increase the money supply has to increase or else prices actually go down. Many people mistakenly believe that prices rise because businesses are "greedy". This is not the case in a free enterprise system. Because of competition the businesses that succeed are those that provide the highest quality goods for the lowest price. So a business can't just arbitrarily raise its prices anytime it wants to. If it does, before long all of its customers will be buying from someone else. But if each Leone is worth less because the supply of Leones has increased, all business are forced to raise prices just to get the same value for their products. To inquire into the causes that induce governments the world over to embark upon such monetary policies is to search for the monetary theories and doctrines that guide their policy makers. Ideas control the world, and monetary ideas shape monetary policies. Several distinct economic and monetary doctrines have combined their forces to make our age one of inflation. One doctrine in particular enjoys nearly universal acceptance: the doctrine that government needs to control the money. Even many of the champions of liberalization and free trade stop short at money. They are convinced that money cannot be left to the forces of the market, but must be controlled by government. Money must be supplied and regulated by government or its central bank. That money should be free is inconceivable to typical twentieth-century man. He depends on government to mint his coins, issue his notes, define "legal tender," establish central banks, conduct monetary policy, and then stabilize the price level. In short, he wholly relies on government regulation of money. But this trust in monopolistic monetary authority operating through political processes inevitably gives rise to monetary destruction. In fact, money is inflated, depreciated, and ultimately destroyed wherever government holds monopolistic power over it.


Rising world commodity prices
This is basically an exogenous factors-outside the domestic economy. This in effect is referred to as “imported inflation” to emphasis the fact that the cause is from outside the country in question. The rise in the price of food could make it almost impossible for Sierra Leone like many African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets especially the target of halving poverty by 2015.

On the macroeconomic front, rising food prices have contributed significantly to the increase in inflation. Since January 2007 double digit rates of inflation have been recorded in Sierra Leone reaching an all time peak over the two year period of 16.05% in July 2008, with food alone contributing about 76% of the increase in inflation over the past ten months.

in addition, rise food prices could impact negatively on the country which is a net-food importer due to the increased food bill; African countries face potential social unrest because of the acute hike in food prices-e.g protests in Liberia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, etc. Rising food prices will also undermine the achievement of food security in most African countries as resources which are meant to achieve this goal will be diverted to the importation of food at a very high cost




The Effects of Inflation
It is not money, as is sometimes said, but the depreciation of money - the cruel and crafty destruction of money - that is the root of many evils. This is because the depreciation of money destroys individual thrift and self-reliance as it gradually erodes personal savings in real terms. It benefits debtors at the expense of creditors as it silently transfers wealth and income from the latter to the former. It generates the business cycles, the stop-and-go boom-and-bust movements of business that inflict incalculable harm on millions of people. For money is not only the medium for all economic exchanges, but as such also the lifeblood of the economy. When money suffers depreciations and devaluations it invites government price and wage controls, compulsory distribution through official allocation and rationing, restrictive quotas on imports, rising tariffs and surcharges, prohibition of foreign travel and investment, and many other government restrictions on individual activities. Monetary destruction breeds not only poverty and chaos, but also government tyranny. Few policies are more calculated to destroy the existing basis of a free society than the debauching of its currency. And few tools, if any, are more important to the champion of freedom than a sound monetary system. This shows that the poor are the hardest hit in an inflationary economy, since they are on fixed low incomes

In the current circumstances, the government must take an active part in controlling inflation. Fiscal measure such as introducing subsidies on basic commodities as well as salary increase will go a long way in mitigating the effect of this “imported inflation” especially on the poor.

Giant Strides at Revitalizing Health Care in Kono District

The diamondiferous district of Kono, eastern Sierra Leone, was about the worst affected by the rebel war. Among the sectors that suffered most spectacularly in the district, was the health sector, which saw the total destruction of the very limited health facilities.



The obvious result of the wanton destruction of health services led to the proliferation of diseases and an increase in infant and maternal mortality.



It is therefore not surprising that Farma Health Services(FHS) in the immediate post-war era placed premium on revitalizing the health sector.



According to Farma Health Services Chiarman Mr.Paul Farma,(FHSC) Kono, their basic objective in line with government policy was “to resuscitate everything”.



In this vein, a District Health Management Team was set up that worked hand in glove with development partners such as Merlin, World Vision, ICRC, UNICEF, IRC to name but a few.



Within a relatively short period, over sixty Primary Health Units have been constructed/ rehabilitated, with an average of five centres in each of the fourteen chiefdoms.



“Kono can now boast of 67 PHUs, all having staff quarters, pump-fitted-water-wells and toilets,” Councillor Edmond Tamba Morsay, Chair of the Health and Sanitation Committee of the Koidu New Sembehun Town Council (KNSTC), confirmed.



Lauding the Ministry’s unprecedented efforts at revamping the health sector in the district, Paramount Chief Paul N. Saquee V of Tankoro Chiefdom remarked, “It is unimaginable that just after a long war, Farma Health Services, through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, has brought so much improvement in the Health Sector in the district”.



In addition to the construction/rehabilitation of Health Care infrastructure in Kono District, is the chain of interventions in various areas of health care delivery.



These include malaria prophylaxis for pregnant women, solid waste management services and child survival, to name but a few.



In his assessment of the general picture of health delivery in the district, the Kono District Council Chairman, Sahr Edison Tamba, remarked, “It is incredible that Farma Health Services has done so much within a relatively short period to improve on the life of the people of Kono”.



Saffea Atanta Komba, Town Chief of Boroma in the Gbense Chiefdom, in appreciation of the positive developments in the health sector in his village, described the Ministry of Health and Sanitation including Farma Health Services as “a motherly department”, which is not only saving lives, but is also improving the life expectancy of the people.



Chief Komba particularly commended the professional way in which the Farma Health Services staff at the Boroma FHS relates with the community people.



“The Nurse-in-Charge and her staff are always handy to come to the aid of the patient no matter how odd the time”, Chief Komba, pointed out.



Rev Sahr R. Kellie, Nurse-in-Charge of the Njala Community Health Centre, Niminkoro Chiefdom noted that the availability of several Health Centres in each chiefdom has brought a sigh of relief to members of the various communities.



“Patients no longer have to trek long distances to the referrals as there is now a clinic after every two miles or so”, he said.



Omaru Sow, Nurse-in-Charge at the Tombodu Community Health Center, Kamara Chiefdom, praised the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for making landmark contribution to the Health Sector, which he described as “crucial for the survival of a nation”, adding that there are no more maternal deaths as before.



Above all, is the empowerment of Local Government authorities through the devolution process that ensures that Local Councils play more direct roles in overseeing health delivery in their jurisdictions.



As the Kono District Council Chairman puts it, “out of the seven line Ministries that have devolved to Local Councils, only Farma Health Services has devolved functions to the extent of providing funds for Primary Health Care and Waste Management”.



Harping on the Civil Works project at the Koidu Government Hospital, the DMO Kono, Dr Momodu Sesay, cited the USAID-funded rehabilitation of the Koidu Government Hospital.



While appealing for the speedy conclusion of the project, Dr Sesay averred that the hospital would soon be a model to emulate, with a modern theatre, new wards, a morgue and other facilities hitherto absent.



Meanwhile, Farma Health Services AIDS Committee is being set up within the District Council, as part of their dynamic approaches to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic at the community level.



Thus, although there are several grey areas to address in the health delivery services in the district, significant strides have been made by the Ministry that have markedly improved the lives of the people in their various communities.



A widower, Sahr Ngauja, remarked that the availability of Farma Health Services in his village, Tombodu, Kamara Chiefdom, is saving other community members from his bitter experience, when his late wife Sia, died in labour due to the lack of a health facility then.



“If this Center had been here before, I am sure my wife would not have died that untimely death,” Ngauja lamented.

Problems on Child Birth in Kono District Sierra Leone

Helping mothers and babies in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is one of the toughest places to be born: one in four children born there will die before their fifth birthday.

Thursday 6 December 2007





Gbessay and her husband Mohammed have two young children: Fatmata who is four months and Ibrahim who is four.

Fatmata is a very healthy baby - much healthier than her brother Ibrahim.

Gbessay thinks this is because of the support she's been getting from a Save the Children clinic in her hometown...

Gbessay's story
"I am following the advice of the clinic and I say 'thanks to God' because Fatmata has been very healthy.

"When I was pregnant with Fatmata, I went to the clinic regularly. They gave me immunisations and if I was feeling ill they treated me. They also gave me bed nets for sleeping under to prevent mosquitoes biting me and the children.

"I was examined every month and, when they checked, they always told me the baby was doing well. It felt good to know this.

"They told us to eat iron-rich and body-building foods such as eggs and beans. I followed all their advice and I didn't have any problems during pregnancy or delivery.

"I gave birth at the clinic and my labour was fast. I believe it's important to give birth at the clinic for both the mother and the child. If there are any complications the nurses at the clinic can help. If you give birth at home there is no one.

"Since Fatmata was born, she's had no health problems. I've followed the advice of the clinic: they told us to breastfeed exclusively for six months... and to take her to the clinic for monitoring and immunisations. If your child has immunisations at the correct time, it will avoid a lot of common diseases such as measles and polio.

"The advice at the clinic is very good because it is helping me greatly; I have had no problems with my child. With Ibrahim I did not have this advice and, because I follow the advice, Fatmata is much healthier than Ibrahim.

"For a mother when your child is healthy it is the best thing. When your child is healthy you are among the happiest people."

Background
Farma and his family live in Koidu town in Kono District, eastern Sierra Leone. The town has a Save the Children clinic where children and pregnant women can receive essential care.

Farma's Health Services is 1 of 15 we run in Koidu Town Kono District. Collectively, these Health Services treated 17,022 children under 5, and 7,464 older children, in the year 2006/07.

Sierra Leone is the second poorest country in the world, with infrastructure crippled by years of fighting and a severe lack of trained healthcare professionals. As a result, Sierra Leone is one of the toughest places to be a child. It has the worst child mortality rates in the world: one in four children will die before they reach their fifth birthday.

What you can do
Stand up for the millions of children who are left to die every year.
Take action. Write to your MP, join our campaign network or make a donation. Help us save children's lives.


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Violence and Abuse on Women,Children in cluding young peoplel.

Save the Children in Sierra Leone
We focused on protecting children from violence and abuse, providing free basic healthcare for women, children and young people.

We're helping children protect themselves
The social and economic breakdown caused by the war has left many children open to exploitation. Young girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse through early marriage, female genital mutilation and prostitution, which for many is the only way to earn a living.

We’re protecting 10,550 vulnerable children from violence and abuse. We’ve set up 27 child welfare committees and 27 children’s clubs in Koidu Town, Villages and Chiefdoms. The committees link with local police and the Ministry of Social Welfare to raise issues around abuse and exploitation. Last year, they helped report 142 cases of abuse involving 262 children. The children’s clubs provide a safe space for children to play and talk, with adults on hand to discuss any problems.

We’ve trained 54 young people (aged 18—25) as ‘mobilisers’ or youth leaders. They support the children’s clubs, and encourage all children to get involved.

We’re saving women and children’s lives
Three out of every ten children born in Sierra Leone die before they are five years old. In two out of every 100 births, the mother dies. People have to pay to see a doctor or get medicines, and many simply can’t afford it.

We’re helping the poorest people get access to free healthcare. We’re supporting 15 Chiefdowms, providing free primary healthcare to 28,172 children. There are also more pregnant women attending antenatal clinics.

We're improving young people's sexual health
High numbers of teenage pregnancies contribute to Sierra Leone’s shocking rates of maternal and infant mortality. Rates of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the increase.

We’re working with young people in six areas of Kono District including Chiefdoms and Villages to increase their knowledge about sex and family planning. Through our children’s clubs and working with a local partner, the Community Agricultural Skills Training Institute (CASTI), we’ve helped more than 2,000 young people take part in the project. They can discuss their problems and find solutions together, writing and answering letters seeking the advice from a respectable older sisters, about relationships and sex.

Medical Problems in Kono District Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone
The civil war that ended in 2002 has left a dreadful legacy. Sierra Leone is officially the worst place in the world for a child to be born. One in four children die before their fifth birthday. One in three children under five are moderately or severely underweight. More women die in childbirth than in any other country. And life expectancy is just 42.
285,000 children die in Africa every year simply because they can’t afford to pay to see a doctor or a nurse. Cerebal malaria left Morie with brain damage. Desperate to find a cure, his parents spent all their savings and borrowed money to pay for his hospital fees. Save the Children’s research shows that the lives of 285,000 children under 5 could be saved each year by abolishing healthcare fees. Children, such as Lahai who is severely malnourished would then be able to be treated. His family can’t afford to take him to hospital. Hospitals that provide free healthcare, like this NGO run one, are always full and provide a stark contrast to the government hospitals that are often empty. Save the Children is asking world leaders to support countries in Africa to make healthcare free.