Visitors in Country Leone have expressed dismay over the predicament and precarious situation of the aged especially those on the streets of the major cities.

“I felt disturbed when I parade through the streets of Freetown and I saw lots of underdo-privileged especially the aged begging for alms. I wonder what government is doing to address such disturbing trend,” Margret David Sankoh said.

According to Margret David Sankoh there should be a Ministry that should responsible to cater for the needy especially the aged, adding that the government should work towards de-escalating the influx of the aged on the streets.

She said the current situation of the aged just signifies that Sierra Leone government has lots to be done in tackling the plights of these poor aged.

“Safe homes for the aged could be permanent solution. Provide them with basic supports. Care for them and above all, remove them from the streets,” she said.

Many tourists expressed similar sentiments.

In an exclusive interview, one of the aged, Mary Turay, who is currently struggling, has expressed deep sadness on how she suffered to put food on the table.

According to her, “I had to sell rubber bottles that I often pick up from the streets to be able to survive”.

Turay, according to her, she has three children but have abandoned her because of her present condition, adding that at a point in time she even lost her husband.

“Before the death of my lovely husband who had been there for me, I also encountered serious accident that resulted me to a broken leg, I suffered in the past two years,” she narrated.

After she first got this accident her husband was on stress for almost two years fending for our daily living, a situation that emanated to his untimely death.

Turay furthered that, since this medium has decided to come to her aid and to know their predicament, she urged the government to rescue them, the aged as even feeding themselves is an herculean task.

“This is not really easy for me. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning, I wonder how am I going to cope for the next couple of months,” cried Turay.

She is calling on government’s intervention to help the needy especially the aged.

“We need rice supply for the aged with some  amount of money as  token for us to open cigarettes sale boxes where we can manage our lives for the meantime”.

Turay thanks African 24 Newspaper for letting government to know about the condition of the aged people and urged the respective management to continue with their good job.

Musa Kamara, another aged, who is also struggling to survive for a day explained how his children are not taking care of him.

He revealed that, his children lack job where they can get money to look after him.

According to Musa Kamara, at the moment, there is no family member to look after him or take care of his living.

“My family had refused to visit me to know my situation. I am sick for the past five years. No money for hospital, instead area nurses have been the ones caring for me by giving me some medicines to ease my pains. I can’t walk for long distance. How can I feed myself; things are not being easy for me and my family,” he narrated.

Kamara is also calling on government to assist them with some amount of money and also to assist their wives to manage their homes especially so when their children are not working.

“If government decides to provide jobs opportunities for our children it will be better for us all,” he said.

Augusta Fornah, a widow whose husband died four years ago and was left with four children, says even though her children are all full-grown now but they don’t have anything absolutely to take care of her.

According to Fornah, her means of survival at this trying time is relatively tough and she said, “it is not funny at all.”

“I am surviving at the moment through the sales of tobacco,” she revealed.

She further explained how her children are still struggling to feed themselves and how fight hard to support her.

“My children are jobless and their only source of income is stone-breaking. My daughters are also yet to get married and all of them depend on stone-breaking,” she maintained.

Augusta Fornah concluded that, her resident is seriously under a life-threatening situation.

She urged government to help them with financial and material support not only for those in Freetown but the nation as a whole.

Salamatu Conteh, who is also suffering due to lack of basic survival, buttressed on the current deteriorating situation.

Conteh cried to the government to look into the plights of the aged and come to their aid.