Journalists for Human Rights

Opposition parties are invited to speak at the covention in hopes of convincing Sierra Leoneans that their leaders are willing to get along.

Reporter: Matthew Kanu Producer: Rachael Borlase

Yesterday, the All People’s Congress closed its national convention in Makeni. People came from all around the country and world attended the event. For four days, the streets in town were packed with government officials, party supporters, secret societies and people partying. In this report, Matthew Kanu takes a look at the political and economic impact of the convention.

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In support of the national government's decentralization strategy, the United Nations opens new office in Makeni and invites the world to attend.

Reporter: Sheku Turray Producer: Rachael Borlase

Some of Sierra Leone’s most important foreign dignitaries visited Makeni on Thursday. They were here to open the new regional office of the United Nations. As part of the ceremony, they met with local leaders, civil society members and the general public to learn about development struggles in this part of the country. As as Sheku Turray reports, the people gave them an earfull.

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By Alphaso Kamara Produced by Rachael Borlase   It’s the dry season in Makeni, and with that comes heat, dust and fires.

In the past couple of months, at least five homes went up in flames,destroying everything, including the life of a mother and two children.

In this report, Radio Maria Reporter, Alphaso Kamara, investigates why these fires keep happening and what can be done to prevent more tragedies.

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Article by: Mathew Kanu and Racheal Borlase

Victims of Sierra Leone’s civil war have one more day to register for reparations.

Tomorrow, NACSA is closing its centres after three months of taking the names of amputees, war wounded, the sexually violated, widows and children who suffered the most during the conflict.

Victims and government officials agree the registration process ran smoothly.

But as Matthew Kanu reports, some people who claim they deserve benefits were rejected.

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Alphaso Kamara and Rachael Borlase

Many Sierra Leoneans depend on the financial support of family living abroad to pay for their education, healthcare and day to day living.

Businesses such as the Western Union, are often bustling with customers, who come in to pick up their money transfers from North American and Europe.

But the global economic crisis in the developed world is taking its toll  on support coming from the Diaspora.

In Makeni, many post-secondary students are worried their education is at risk because their support has dwindled and in some cases even stopped coming from the West.

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In an effort to determine the impact of the death of Guinean President Lansana Conte on Sierra Leone, Kalleone reporters Sheik Daud Fofanah and Mike Brown traveled to the disputed Yenga territory and other lands along Sierra Leone's eastern border with Guinea to hear from those in the affected regions.

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Robert Clarke and Charles Gbollie

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare says nutrition problems remain a major challenge in the health care delivery system of the country.

The Director for Family Health, Dr. Saye Barwo, told Star Radio maternal mortality has doubled over the years to 994 per 100,000.

Dr. Barwo said much needs to be done to cater to pregnant women across the country, mainly in the rural communities.

However, Barwo said the Demographic Health Survey shows that infant mortality has reduced to 72 per 1,000.

Barwo spoke at the start of a three-day National Nutrition Action Plan Development Forum in Paynesville.

He advised that partners in the nutrition program of the country should effectively cooperate to improve the system.

The action plan is the implementation procedure of the nutrition policy drafted by the Health Ministry and its partners in 2008.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has also begun a series of training sessions for nurses and midwives across the country to combat maternal mortality in Liberia.

A master trainer at the ministry said the training sessions were necessary because of the current prevalence of maternal mortality in the country.

Mrs. Dianna Clinton said during the training sessions, participants would acquire new ideas, including methods of handling serious bleeding in childbirth.

Clinton told Star Radio the statistics of death of babies and mothers during delivery was worrisome.

She attributed the situation to a lack of trained nurses and midwives to handle cases.

She spoke to Star Radio at one of the two-week training sessions held at Redemption Hospital on Bushrod Island.

The training sessions are sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

[Star Radio, 4/1/09]

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Sheik Daud Fofanah and Mike Brown

Freetwon, Sierra Leone

Working as a distinguished fellow of jhr's Media Fellowship program, Sheik Daud Fofanah has been investigating the state of juvenile justice in Sierra Leone. In this installment of his report, he examines the current conditions at the country's only approved school, and looks at ways to improve access to vocational training important for the rehabilitation of youth in conflict with the law.

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Emmanuel Wheinyue with Grant Fuller

Sea erosion poses a serious threat to the coastal areas of Liberia. It is causing residents of those areas to migrate and seek safer living places. The coast along the port city of Buchanan is one of the hardest-hit areas. Emmanuel Wheinyue visited Buchanan and compiled this report...

Jukon Jugbay: Even the houses were around this rock you see over there and a whole lot of coconut trees were on that side.

Old man Jukon Jugbay walks along the coast in the port city of Buchanan. He stares far off into the sea, pointing to where his home used to be.

For many years now, sea erosion has posed a serious threat to the coastal areas of Liberia. The ocean has been creeping onto the coast land, overrunning towns near the water, causing rivers to overflow, destroying properties and leaving many families homeless.

Buchanan is one of the worst-hit areas along the coastline. The sea erosion is believed to have started at least thirty years ago and its exact cause is uncertain. But many say it is due to the lack of a breakwater which protects the shore from waves. Climate change could also play a role as the sea level rises around the world. The sea erosion first drew public interest on April 12, 2008, when at least 20 houses were washed away by the sea.

Madam Mary Bardehwleh lost her home on that day and has been a victim of sea erosion more than once. She said two of her houses as well as the family cemetery are now under the sea.

Mary Bardehwleh: I was living over there with big country house, you know. All gone. Coconut tree, plum trees, palm trees. My children, my aunts, uncles' graves all washed away. This one coming to go, too, see? We coming to wash away again.

Mary lives in an area called Bardehwleh Town. Its flat and sandy location has made it vulnerable and it is the hardest hit community with more than half of the town lost to the ocean. People living there feel that the installation of a breakwater is the best way to curb the situation.

Several other residents whose homes have been threatened by the sea told me they have sleepless nights thinking about where to go next as the sea approaches.

Villager 1: I can't sit down here, the sea to come kill me, so better I push back. When the sea be coming, we still pushing.

Villager 2: In the rainy season it can be so dangerous, the tides can rise. You can feel the sound of the tides as it's breaking, coming on shore. So if there's anything can be done, I think it should be fast.

This side of the Buchanan coast is mainly inhabited by Fanti fishermen from Ghana who largely depend on sales of fish to earn living. Francis Stephens is a spokesman for the Ghanaian fishermen.

Francis Stephens: We are fishermen. We always live beside the sea. So our canoe can't be here and then we go far from the sea. No. If you want to relocate us, at least you have to find somewhere that belong to the sea.

Young people are concerned about their future as their motherland is at risk of disappearing. Community secretary Emmanuel Elkins says illegal sand mining is another contributing factor to the problem of sea erosion. So how are the youth involved in protecting their environment?

Emmanuel Elkins: It's to educate the people, telling them that they should not take sand, they should not mine and do other things. If anybody is caught, we will report it to the police.

With over fifty homes in the area now destroyed, hundreds of people have been made homeless. Thousands of other homes and properties are likely to be destroyed if nothing is done to rescue Buchanan.

The Grand Bassa County authority has described the sea erosion as very serious and declared the affected area a disaster zone. The Administrative Assistant to the County Superintendent, Mr. Charles Cole, said government has launched a fund drive named “Save Buchanan from Sea Erosion.” He said US$3 million is targeted to buttress government efforts to remedy the crisis.

Charles Cole: We've been experiencing the erosion so greatly that we were compelled to raise some alarm.

According to Mr. Cole, victims of sea erosion are being relocated to a safer area and will be given some benefits.

CC: The resettlement process is ongoing. Right now we are building four units for those most affected, especially those Fanti fishermen that live along the coastline there. We've allocated some land, and we're trying to see how we can generate money to build some local unit for them.

For Star Radio, I am Emmanuel Wheinyue reporting from Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

[Star Radio, 4/7/09]

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Some patients at the Tuberculosis Annex in Congo Town say they have begun an indefinite hunger strike in demand of drugs.

The patients told Star Radio they have not been given the requisite drugs for the past four months.

They said authorities at the TB Annex stopped giving them treatment after it was established that they had developed a resistance to the regular TB drugs.

According to them, the management of the Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Program had promised to get the requisite drugs for them.

Deputy Manager for Programs, Dedeh Bar-Kesselly said after months of treatment it appeared that the patients were not responding to treatment.

Mrs. Bar-Kesselly said the patients’ specimen was taken to the United States for laboratory tests and it was found that they had developed resistance to TB drugs currently in the country.

To date the drugs have not been made available while their conditions worsen.

The patients vowed not to eat until their situation was addressed, regardless of the consequences.

Meanwhile, the TB patients are appealing to government and its health partners to ensure that the requisite drugs are brought into the country to remedy their conditions.

The Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Program however, disclosed that the patients are at the moment being given what she called supplementary drugs.

Mrs. Bar-Kesselly has urged the patients to disregard their hunger strike as they have not been forgotten.

She said government and its partners are making frantic efforts to ensure that the requisite drugs are brought in the country to treat the few patients.

-- World Tuberculosis Day --

At the same time, The Liberia National Red Cross Society in collaboration with the Ministry of Health celebrated World Tuberculosis Day on March 24.

The day was celebrated under the theme 'We Must Stop TB' and was intended to alert people about the danger of the disease and highlight its gravity.

A statement from the Red Cross Society said the program also mobilized people to demand their rights to access to good quality TB services.

This year’s celebration also provided an opportunity to encourage medical practitioners, policy makers and opinion leaders to get involved in the implementing the Stop TB Strategy.

The main focus of the Stop TB Strategy is the Direct Observation Treatment, which entails a doctor ensuring a patient takes medication.

The Liberia National Red Cross Society has already established a community-based tuberculosis program.

Millions around the world are affected by the disease annually, with some leading to death.

Listen below for interviews with Liberian TB patients and the Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Program.

[Star Radio, 3/19/09]

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