The families served by the Child Reintegration Centre live on the margins, even by the standards of one of the poorest countries in the world. The government's nationwide lockdown in response to the global COVID pandemic has pushed these families to the brink, and some have become extremely food insecure. (See Lockdowns will starve people in low-income countries, The Washington Post) With the generous help of our donors, the CRC has responded by distributing emergency food to help the most desperate families get through the crisis. The families were provided with food essentials including rice, vegetable oil, onions, and Maggi flavoring cubes. The entire CRC staff pitched in to assemble food packages and distribute them to the grateful families. “I am a single mother with four children and my husband died during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone," one mother said. "For the past months my children and I have not been having enough food to eat. Thank God today we have got some food substance”. Food was distributed in Bo and in several of the villages the CRC serves, including Fengehun, Manguama, Sami, Mattru on the Rail, and Yamandu. Case manager Victor Kanu explained the situation. “Families in the rural communities are more vulnerable than those in big towns and communities, and find it difficult to get food." In the Mattru on the Rail community near Bo, a mother expressed her gratitude for the assistance. “I am happy to receive the food you people brought to my community this morning. I am preparing to go to the farm with my family since school is not in session so as to find what we can eat, not knowing that God will send his people to support us with food.” If you would like to help provide struggling families with emergency food, you can donate to HCW's COVID response by clicking on the link below. The CRC delivered emergency food to several of the villages served by case management, including Fengehun, Manguama, Sami, Mattru on the Rail, and Yamandu. The entire CRC staff pitched in to help assemble food packages including rice, onion, cooking oil, and Maggi cubes for flavoring.
2 Comments
The Child Reintegration Centre was treated to a special visit from their founder, Bishop John Yambasu, who helped the CRC case managers distribute solar powered radios to students. As part of its COVID response, the CRC is providing students with solar powered radios, so they can keep up with government sponsored radio broadcasts during school closures. This is especially critical for students who are slated to take promotional exams to advance to the next level of their education, and these students are receiving the radios first. So far 183 radios have been distributed. The students also received face masks and time tables for the radio programs. While the developed world has shifted to online learning during the pandemic, this is not an option for the vast majority of Sierra Leoneans, and certainly not for families served by the CRC. By providing children with solar powered radios, even those whose homes lack electricity can listen to the daily education broadcasts. In case you didn't know, the CRC owes its existence to Bishop Yambasu, who came to the US in 1999 seeking assistance for children orphaned or abandoned in the Sierra Leone civil war. His advocacy led to the launching of the Child Rescue Centre as a street feeding program, and later residential and family care initiative (renamed the Child Reintegration Centre in 2019.) "I was excited to witness and be part of the radio distribution to the children in the midst of the many challenges students and teachers are facing. It is my hope that the radios will make a positive impact on the quality of results our children will bring at the end of their examinations," Bishop Yambasu said. The bishop remains closely engaged in the work of the CRC to strengthen vulnerable families and reintegrate children with loving caregivers. You can read about the CRC's beginning here: www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/our-story Mercy Hospital continued distribution of Veronica buckets for handwashing stations, as well as other hygiene supplies, to villages in the catchment areas served by mobile outreach. Catchment centres that benefited from the distribution: 1. Lewabu, covering Mendewa Layout, Mosakpa, Johnny Layout, Kowama, and Joe town 2. Senbehun Selenga, covering Flawahun, Mabondo, Majiama, and Baoma 3. Gbongboma, covering Massahun, Faala, Sembuya, Kuogebu, Ngonbu, Danddoima, and Korwama 4. Kpetema,, covering Jalehun, Jabama and Banda 5. Baoma, Lagabu, and Kigbai |
Follow us on social media
Archive
April 2024
Click the button to read heartfelt tributes to a beloved Bishop, co- founder of our mission!
Post
|