By: Musa Conteh

The official closing ceremony of the St. Mary’s Home of Charity Healthcare Project at Kono Town, Koya, Port Loko District on Wednesday 29th January 2025, left residents of the Kono Town Village Community and its surroundings sad and in tears. Many people say the project was a blessing and development for them, as they were provided with free medical/health care and trainings on safe motherhood/child healthcare.

Mr. Ahmid Conteh, the healthcare professional, in charge of the clinic and head a team of 2 nurses and 2 nutritionists. They handled all the healthcare services of SMHC throughout the one-year (February 2024-January 2025) project duration period to a successful end. Food and healthcare/nutrition training were done two times per month, while agriculture trainings were done once a month.

St. Mary’s Home of Charity is a Catholic charity organization. One of the sponsors of SMHC is Gigibontà, Sierra Leone and as always, it plants the seeds of a better future for Sierra Leoneans as a people and Sierra Leone as a country. ”Literally, when you buy an ice cream at Gigibontà, it means, you are also supporting youth development, agriculture, education, tourism, trade, vulnerable orphan children/single mothers, young women/men, the aged, the needy, etc., and other developmental projects in Sierra Leone.

‘The SMHC healthcare component has now come to an end, but we shall continue with it when we get the appropriate sponsorship. However, in the meantime, the food security component of the SMHC is still maintained. Women are provided with farm land and seeds to grow crops and vegetables; the harvest is for them to prepare food for their children and sell the rest to get income to sustain them or for their livelihood”, says Lucy H. Kamara, Admin and Manager, SMHC.

According to the CEO of Gigibontà, Sierra Leone, Daniel Foday Sillah, one of the stakeholders of SMHC, the APG XXIII -New Horizon Project focuses on promoting food and health security for orphans and vulnerable children in Sierra Leone. Its activities in the Port Loko District, Kono Town Village and its surrounding areas is a clear manifestation that it is in-line with the basic concept of development and compliments the efforts of government in the health, agriculture, children and social welfare sectors. ‘We want to provide food and health opportunities for the children and women; and also teach lactating mothers how to produce their own local quality, healthy and affordable food for the under-fives, equally and accordingly. We similarly want to promote good public health through the provision of healthy foods, medicine and medical treatment for the needy or vulnerable children and women”, Mr. Sillah said.

”The vision of SMHC is to bring delight to children and women through educational, healthcare, Agricultural and recreational activities such as sports, entertainment and amusement for children, women, families and friends. Development of orphans, vulnerable children and women is the main objective in the heart of SMHC as a catholic charity organization”, he added.

‘Most of the profits made by Gigibontà go charity – taking care of Orphanage Homes – (owned and managed directly by the organization itself); abandoned children, the Aged and abandoned, the handicapped, the least in society and the needy people. In Sierra Leone the organization owns an Orphanage Home called, ‘Saint Mary’s Home of Charity -(SMHC)”, he furthered.

”SMHC is an Orphanage under the umbrella of Gigibontà in Sierra Leone; with the principal objective of creating livelihood, food and health security for orphans, vulnerable children and women, especially young single mothers”, Mr. Sillah explained.

Enkolina Shqau, project supervisor, from Italy was present at the official closing ceremony of the SMHC health project . She got an oversight of the ceremony, children and women in attendance and other things and this is what she said: ”SMHC has done an excellent job. It has all that it takes regarding quality foods and health services. It has added great value to the Koya Community in particular and Sierra Leone in general. Indeed, the project was great, the outcome is good and the impact is great. The service delivery was efficient and effective. I am greatly impressed with the realities on the ground.”.

Meanwhile, the event was attended by over 200 targeted beneficiaries, who whole heartedly blessed the sponsors and the SMHC management and staff for the kind gesture and prayed for continuation of the project, which they unanimously say made positive impacts on them.

Yeabu Dumbuya, a beneficiary of the project, said: “I used to have difficulties providing food and healthcare for my child, but now through SMHC trainings I have learned a lot about how to prepare local/affordable healthy foods and the medical facilities made me and my child live a healthy life. Thanks to the sponsors and we pray and hope SMHC will continue to implement this health security component”, she says,” Please continue to help us. Save the lives of our children”, she pleaded. All the participants said and pleaded the same.

Finally, the event was wrapped and sealed with a clinical session wherein children and women with health complaints were attended to in a proper manner and provided with the necessary medicines. Mr. Conteh, the Healthcare professional talked about Malaria prevention and control while Hawa Conteh, Nutritionist, talked about types of foods and preparation of local affordable healthy food for children.

On the whole, the entire participants hopefully had one thing in common which was the plea for the sponsors to kindly continue the project as it saves more lives in the Kono Town Village and its surrounding areas. Alimamy Sillah, Social Worker, SMHC, says the targeted beneficiaries personally, frankly expressed their sincerely appreciation and thanks for the services offered and that they hugely benefited from the healthcare project.