Written by Desmond Jones
Together with the Partnership for Humanity, the Healey International Relief Foundation (HealeyIRF) continues to support survivors of flooding disasters and the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, alongside Tzu Chi, Lanyi, and Caritas. These survivors comprise of children orphaned by the eighteen-month long Ebola outbreak and the various floods, as well as survivors who are currently battling ill-health conditions as a result of both the epidemic and the natural disasters.
In recent years, Sierra Leone has experienced increasingly heavy rains that have caused devastating floods. According to eye witness accounts, the flooding disasters brought overwhelming destruction to already vulnerable communities. Many sustained injuries, some lost family members, while others were left homeless. Mabinty Kanu, a resident of Moyiba Town, Freetown, expressed appreciation to the Partnership for Humanity for the rice, clothes, and blankets supplied to her and other flood victims.
Although the Ebola outbreak was five years ago, affected families lost their breadwinners. Those who have survived are currently suffering from a range of medical complications. The Partnership for Humanity has continued to serve these communities throughout the years.
During a distribution of items to Ebola survivors, the President of the Sierra Leone Ebola Survivors Association, Yusuf Kabba, remarked how HealeyIRF and the Partnership for Humanity have continued to fulfill their promise to them by continuously distributing rice and other needed items to survivors.
To support sustainable development for these impoverished communities in Sierra Leone, HealeyIRF and the Partnership have established a relationship with Home Leone’s Destiny Village, located on the outskirts of Freetown in Newton. The Home Leone Foundation works to relocate inhabitants of disaster-prone areas to the Village, located in a much safer environment. HealeyIRF, together with its partners, visited the village this year to follow up on the success of a previous distribution and to further facilitate interactions of love between the families and over twenty-five Tzu Chi, Lanyi, Caritas, and HealeyIRF staff and volunteers. During the visit, items were distributed to pupils of the Destiny Academy, a school established in the Village for relocated children. After the interaction, a certificate of appreciation was presented to the Healey International Relief Foundation.
