A Social Worker in Old Wharf Community

In response to the flash flood that occurred as a result of the heavy rainfall from the 26th to the 28th of August 2022. This leads to deaths, destruction of properties and leaving of many people homeless, this ultimately leads to psychological and emotional distress among those affected. Social Workers Sierra Leone (SWSL) responded to the crisis by deploying social workers in the various affected communities namely (Old Wharf community, Cline Town, Culvert community and Crap Town) and the focus of the social workers centered on to understand the crisis, the impact on the affected population and provide psychological first Aid to survivors.

The SWSL team continued to engage survivors at the different communities; they observed a serious emotional and psychological distress on the affected people and communities as a result of the damage caused by the disaster.

As of 29th August, to 2nd September, the team maintained their deployment in the mentioned communities and were able to visit the various communities: In Old Wharf community -18 households were visited comprise of 29 children and 14 women most of whom are business women all affected. Also, in Cline Town community, 24 households were visited comprise of 34 children and 19 women affected. Again, in Culvert community 30 households were visited, with 41 children and 23 women affected. Lastly, Crap Town community, 10 households were visited with 13 affected children and 7 affected women.

A frontline Social Worker in Culvert Community

During the team visits in the various communities, they observed that, children- particularly school going children, women engage in business, people with disabilities and the aged continued to display tens emotional distress from the aftermath of the disaster.

According to a 12-year-old girl stated that: “I have lost all my materials including my school materials in the disaster. I don’t know when I will be back in school”. Many children expressed similar sentiments with less than a week for school to reopen.

Similar crisis of such nature has been happening in the country, and SWSL responded like the August 14, 2017 mudslides which killed many Sierra Leoneans and rendered many homeless.  SWSL were able to receive direct support from Lift a Village and LemonAid Fund, to support the recovery process for survivors. Also, the Susan’s Bay fire disaster, which also rendered many people homeless, SWSL was able to respond with the support of LemonAid Fund and a Sierra Leonean group in diaspora called “Salone Support Team.

Such supports were able to influence quick restoration and normalcy for a reasonable number of affected people by making them becoming a productive survivor. In this crisis, the concerns like school materials for school going children, financial support for women that loss their business and difficulties in coping with the crisis continued to exhibit.  There has not been much attention in terms of support in this crisis and in order to promote positive healing there is urgent need for appropriate psychosocial support.

Musa Amara, one of the social workers says “the more these children delay to return to school the chances to become more vulnerable by exposing to other child abuses. When children are in school it’s lesser the rate of abuse”.

This sad reality requires urgent support of school supplies to help get affected children not to miss schooling as a result of lack of support -likewise a more specialize emotional support is needed for all affected population to address their psychological and emotional distress to regain normalcy.