Kusheh usay Makeni, Sierra Leone!

April was a busy month for Sierra Cares Foundation. We helped law enforcement track down and convict traffickers from the largest criminal sydicate in Sierra Leone! This syndicate was primarly responsible for the recruitment and transport of women to the Middle East. They skirted the 2022 migrant refugee laws to help potential “buyers/employers” gain access to Sierrra Leonean women. We worked with law enforcement to convict the leaders of the syndicate to justice. As part of their sentencing, the traffickers must pay restitution to the families of the victims and serve prison sentences in compliance with Sierra Leonean laws.

This was a tremendous undertaking as SCF covered the costs for reunifying victims with their families. SCF will also create and fund a universal training system for political leaders, law enforcement, judicial servants and the public. This is a huge step forward to preventing and educating all Sierra Leoneans on the realities of being recruited and what happens to victims. We also had to ensure the safety of the victims who were brave enough to identify the traffickers and give us their whereabouts as well as the endure the safety of our staff involved.

The SCF HOPE Community Center has been open since January, providing programs for our returning migrants by offering medical, job, housing and food support. We have been able to expand our community well water and electricity to serve about 20 homes in the surrounding area. Migrants are truly grateful, as providing light at night makes them feel more secure. The community center bathroom was also completed and now serves as a safe place to wash up with clean drinkng water and a flush toilet.

We are actively working to breaking the cycle of child marriage by providing education. We are also providing tangible resources for our boys as a viable alternative to keep them from being recruited as child soldiers. We are focused on breaking the generational trauma rooted in poverty and a lack of hope. We are revolutionizing a mental health service program that is the first of its kind, not only in West Africa, but the entire continent. This program will serve as a model for other non-profit and governmental organizations to provide long-term, sustainable support for our migrants and their families as they navigate the trauma of being held in captivity overseas. We promoted Samuella Isha Hamilton, who recently received her masters in clinical psychology, to lead mental health director. She will work directly with the University of Makeni to establish a program to meet the needs of our returning migrants and their families.

Sierra Cares Foundaton could not have done this work without the generous support of GlobalGiving donors. As always, we thank you sincerely for your support!