The Child Reintegration Centre's education department, led by Education Manager Mabel Mustapha, organized a forum for secondary students to hear from successful graduates of vocational and technical programs.   The forum aimed to remove the stigma students and their families may have towards vocational or technical training, and encourage them to seek successful careers in fields that don't require a university degree.  

Daniel Lahai, a carpentry teacher at Sierra Leone Opportunities Industrialization Centers (SL-OIC), one of the CRC's approved post-secondary institutions, spoke to the students about training opportunities in the construction field.  Mercy Hospital electrician Mohamed Bangura and CRC accountant Lucy Jusu shared their stories of personal success as graduates of votech programs who now have interesting, good-paying jobs with room for advancement.  All three speakers attended SL-OIC before embarking on their current careers.   Lucy worked for many years at the CRC before going back to school to earn an accounting degree.

On a national level, the 2019 WASSCE exam results were very disappointing, and few students earned the scores required for university acceptance. Job training is an excellent alternative for senior secondary (high school equivalent) graduates.  The most recent labor statistics from the World Bank show that just 10% of the population are wage or salaried workers, so good jobs are not easy to come by in Sierra Leone, but welders, electricians, accountants, and other skilled workers are in high demand.   

The Child Reintegration Centre regularly holds workshops on healthy parent-child attachment for parents of CRC-enrolled children.  Attachment, or normal bonding between parent and child, is the primary mental pillar of a child's development and is essential for a family's health and stability.

Families in Sierra Leone may struggle because of extreme poverty, parental illiteracy, and household instability caused by parents leaving to pursue work.  Many of the children enrolled in a CRC program have experienced trauma in their young lives, which may cause them to struggle with behavioral problems.  The CRC's attachment workshop helps parents understand the critical importance of bonding, and effective strategies for dealing with behavior challenges without damaging the bond between caregiver and child. 


The attachment workshop covers six modules:

• Secure attachment
• The impact of trauma  on a child's development
• Understanding  attunement - detecting what the child is feeling or thinking, and responding appropriately)
• Temperament and childhood resiliency
• Emotional regulation - the ability to respond with an appropriate emotional range)
• Caregiver well-being - helping parents get their emotional needs met, so they aren't dependent on the child to meet their emotional needs. 

Last year, attachment workshops were held at the CRC administrative office for families living in the Bo area.  The counselors traveled to  Manguama, Pujehun, and Fengehun, villages served by the CRC and Mercy, to hold workshops.  Last year the CRC held five attachment theory workshops for parents, and plans are in place to hold refresher classes for all parents in the coming year.

- Emmanuel Lamin, CRC Case Manager 

The Mercy outreach team identified a toddler with inguinal hernia.   Little Saidu was transported to Mercy Hospital where surgery was successfully performed by Lawrence Kargbo, surgical health officer, to correct the condition.  Saidu made a full recovery under the care of Mercy staff and was released to his grateful mother.

About 3-5% of healthy, full-term babies may be born with an inguinal hernia and one third of infancy and childhood hernias appear in the first 6 months of life. In premature infants, the incidence of inguinal hernia is substantially increased, up to 30%. Children in Sierra Leone and other parts of the developing world may be more prone to conditions like inguinal hernia due to conditions that may be caused by inadequate maternal and infant care.