Caritas Freetown caring for women and girl-survivors of Ebola

As Sierra Leone starts the countdown to the 42 days to being declared Ebola free, with bated breath, the aid and development office of the Archdiocese of Freetown, ‘Caritas Freetown,’ continues to provide psychosocial support to Ebola-survivors, especially women and girls.

With the support of the Spanish charity Manos Unidas, Caritas Freetown  is also proving food and non-food items to help survivors overcome the trauma they have been though. Twenty-three year-old Ebola-survivor, Aminata Sillah told Fr Peter Konteh, the Director of Caritas Freetown that "if only there were many other organisations like Caritas Freetown we would have lived beyond all our pains.”
 

Last week, Caritas Freetown also joined ‘Power Women 232,’ an organisation that promotes women’s rights during a candlelight march to denounce the alleged rape and killing of a 17 year old girl called Hannah in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. Fr. Kohnteh said, “Being a Catholic development organisation, Caritas Freetown is striving to uphold the rights of all, including women who are our major constituent. We publicly frown upon rape and the unlawful killing of any individual,” Fr Konteh said.

The Caritas Freetown Director extended his condolences to the girl’s family and urged everyone to stand up against rape. He concluded by reiterating the slogan of the march (hashtag) #real men don't rape but only cowards do.

(Festus Tarawalie)

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