Like a lot of sub-Saharan Africa, Sierra Leone is vulnerable to the spread of deadly illnesses due to limited provision of adequate sanitation, health care, and hygiene products being considered as luxuries – particularly when prices on essential items have increased by 30% and lockdown has prevented people going to work.
Koindu is a market town on the border with both Liberia and Guinea with constant movement of people and commercial transport from these countries; and has its own quarantine centre, housing between 30-60 people. So far, our Covid-response has been to support the most vulnerable with food parcels, and supplying over 1,000 keyworkers across health facilities, food markets and transport workers with locally manufactured cloth face-masks.
Due to lockdown restrictions making it very difficult to import supplies and making many products unaffordable, we have sought funding from the Wales and Africa Immediate Covid Response scheme to set up soap manufacturing locally. We learnt, that due to many charities applying for the fund, our project would only receive partial funding, which has put us under unexpected pressure to find what we need. We hope to make over 2,000 bars of soap to supply 6 Health facilities, the main food market, and local emergency services, along with hand-washing equipment and accurate information on Covid-19.
A demonstration of love was shown to us by Teams4U through the provision of face-masks. When we use the masks, we protect others and break the chain of transmission.
Isata, Market Trader
This project will help look after the health of over 4,000 members of the community including 220 keyworkers.
Can you help?
To fill the gap this project needs, and support a similar project supporting health clinics in Uganda, we need £5,112.
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Teams4u were fast to react to this request and approved the fund of £600 to be sent straight away to Helga. She wasted no time in travelling to Kailam to purchase the material needed and over the weekend over 700 masks were made by local tailors. Today (Monday) they were distributed by Helga and her team of volunteers to motor bike taxis, market traders and also health workers.