Africa 24 – feature news

By 2030, as the world seeks to ensure “access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing,” Sierra Leone hasn’t any sustainable project which aims at building more houses for the poor and very low income earners working for government.

Not everyone is even aware in the country that the world is pushing for the construction of very decent houses for every one to live in.

If you talk to thousands or more Sierra Leoneans about this they will surely tell you that they don’t know about SDGs at all.

Lest to talk of Goal 11 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which says by 2030, all countries, in the world, must ensure that there is access for all adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgraded slums where people can live.

This is not seen to be working in Sierra Leone as many slums like Moa Wharf, Susan’s Bay, Kroo Bay, Crab Town, Wellington, etc, in the capital still have very weak, tattered, grumpy, tarpaulin-roofs homes.  Some don’t have proper toilet facilities while homes are not decent at all within the urban capital and rural Waterloo town.

The risk is that diseases like cholera, malaria, typhoid, fever, cold, pneumonia, are common in Sierra Leone.

A street in Waterloo Town in Western Rural District clearly paints a picture of string of poor housing settlements erected by people.

Those who live in those houses struggle a lot for a meal in a day, something that is so obvious from the many families at houses we were able to observe while always taking a stroll.

So it is hard for these people to save up enough cash to be able to build proper and very good houses for sleeping.

They, instead, still depend on making earthen-bricks or mud bricks to build their  houses and with tarpaulins used as rooftops.

At a tarpaulin-zinc house, four women sat at a very narrow veranda discussing their private matters.

Opposite that house, a lady was sitting, looking disinterested with a little girl beside her.

The very house they sat was half covered with zinc roof, with tattered tarpaulins spreading on the roof top.

There is no need to ask, if at all, such houses do leak in the time of the rainy season – they do seriously.

There are even many more houses to count which are built with weak brick houses and are covered with some spoiled zincs and tarpaulins.

Unlike now, few decades ago around 2002, a housing humanitarian called ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency Sierra Leone) was building more houses for residents in Waterloo rural settings. Today there are still those houses built by ADRA and people sleep there.

Also, even the world biggest humanitarian organization, Mercy Ships had been building free-to-sleep houses for people around Waterloo and Malambay community and for residents in Koya Chiefdom.

A German group of volunteers were the ones constructing Mercy Ships free houses for people in Koya Chiefdom and in some parts in Waterloo between the years 2002 and 2024.

Today a number of these NGOs or charitable organizations have dissappeared with the world now shifting its focus on governments tasking countries to build decent and safe houses for their citizens, as a way of  providing lasting solutions on the problem of housing for the poor and low income earners in the world over.

Such is the target set by UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 11 to be fulfilled by 2030.

Can the world hits this target when there is lack of willingness and strong commitments shown by countries like Sierra Leone?