Sierra Leone News: As volunteers strike for weekly incentive…Hand washing stops at Newton check point

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The hand washing initiative that was introduced to help stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease in the country has stopped for some weeks now at the Newton Check Point (4 mile), due to lack of payment of weekly incentives to volunteers. This was discovered as a result of frequent visits to the said checkpoint over a two-week period by this Reporter. According to the only volunteer who fetches water for the check point on a regular daily basis, her weekly incentive of Le 200, 000 (two hundred thousand Leones) has not been paid for the last six months. Fatmata John, a suckling mother, explains that she fetches water from nearby water well daily to fill the hand washing container for use by passengers passing through the check point. She said there are three huge drums stationed at different points at the check point and she fills these drums on a regular basis daily. “I refill the drums three to four times daily because of the huge number of people passing through the check point and have to wash their hands,” she explained. She disclosed that she used to collect her weekly incentive from a certain Sister Williams through a man known as MOD at the check point, but that sometime in November 2014, she was informed about a verification process to be completed at the District Health Medical Team (DHMT) office at Cline Town. She said she went to do the process where Sister Williams was undertaking the process. She said she was told by the Sister to leave her information with her and go home, as she will do it on her behalf. Fatmata maintained that since then, the Sister has not given her any information relating to her payment until when she (Fatmata) went to collect her money and was informed that her name was not in the list and Sister William directed her to go to the National Ebola Response Committee (NERC) to enquire about her pay. She said she has fetched water for the check point for eleven months without receiving a single cent for her labour. “I have therefore decided to withhold my services while demanding for my pay,” Fatmata John said. She explained how she suffers fetching the water and how she will abandon her child sometimes for longer hours drawing water from deep water wells for the check point. “My child will cry sometimes for hours without me having the chance to attend to her, especially on those days when the passenger flow increases,” Fatmata said, lamenting that all her sufferings have gone in vain as she has nothing to show for it. “I suffered under the hot-burning sun sometimes with my child tied to my back and now I have been left languishing with nobody to turn to for redress,” she lamented. According to the Headman of Newton, Tommy Browne, he is aware of the plight of Fatmata noting that he has personally informed the Member of Parliament for the Constituency (95) Hon. Claude Kamanda and the Councillor of the Ward. He acknowledged the role of Fatmata at the check point since it was established, describing it as “very significant” to the efforts of containing the spread of the Ebola virus amongst passengers passing through the check point. Headman Tommy Browne said he is also aware of the referral of Fatmata by Sister Williams to the NERC, but that the woman in question has no form of identification to enter the NERC premises to do her enquiries. “I think Sister Williams should lead the woman to the NERC or claim the pay on her behalf since she is aware of the work she was doing at the check point. Security personnel at the check point state that their roles include maintaining law and order at the check point and ensuring that the hand washing practice is adhered to by travellers through the check point. The say they know nothing about the payment system and mechanism of the volunteers. Monday January 19, 2015

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