The newly constructed Kenema-Pendembu highway has led to an increase in the number of residents in the villages and towns along the road. Such developments have had a negative impact on the livelihoods of the residents.
Dambu Village is about 5 kilometres from Shegbwema and about 6 kilometres from Daru town. Residents in Dambu depend on farming for their daily survival and also use part of their savings to look after the children’s welfare.
According to the Town Chief of Dambu, Ibrahim Saffa, they were using a very small Barry to settle disputes between and among his people but now they have to sit in the open as the existing Barry is too small and dilapidated.
Now that it has started raining they will have to meet at the mosque, which is not good because no one will predict the outcome of a matter before its settlement.
He furthered that “even the available Clinic cannot handle quarter of the cases”, adding that the existing facilities are not enough for them which is why in most cases they refer patients to Shegbwema for proper treatment.
Chief Ibrahim Saffa disclosed that the problem of sanitation facilities in their village has been with them for decades as they usually go to the bush to ease themselves.
He explained that some experts who have been visiting have discouraged such act and teaching them about proper hygiene and sanitation, which is why he had instituted byelaws encouraging every house to construct a toilet or face penalty.
According to the Town Chief of Dambu, Ibrahim Saffa, with the introduction of a hygiene program by the Social Enterprise Development (SEND) Sierra Leone, their community is now healthy for human inhabitants.
He disclosed that the people now understand the benefit of cleaning their environment and eating healthy food, but however maintained that the increase in his village population had widen their challenges.
By Alhaji M. Kamara
Thursday May 25, 2017.
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