Caritas Freetown Partners with Spanish Catholic Aid Agency to Help Victims of Slum Fires

He added, “Whenever fires occur in slums, many people lose everything. Houses are usually razed down and property is lost. When this happens, it is the women who are left most vulnerable.”

In one of the fire incidents on January 9, over 50 houses were razed down at the Tripoli community in Susan’s Bay, a slum community East of Freetown. The early morning inferno is said to have ravaged the community while some residents were still asleep.

Some days later, on January 20, heavy fire is said to have burnt down houses at Wilberforce Military Barracks, Western Area of Freetown.

Though the affected residents were resettled and helped to their feet, Caritas Freetown recently approached Manos Unidas with a request to support the women who had been left vulnerable, without access to dignity kits.

With the partnership with the Spanish Catholic aid agency, Caritas Freetown implemented a two-day awareness program on feminine hygiene, an event that culminated in the March 8 celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 that was guided by #EmbraceEquity campaign theme aimed at getting “the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren’t enough”.

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Additionally, some 733 women were given gift packs that had assorted clothing, sanitary pads, laundry soap, bathing soap, lappers, slippers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towel, underwear, and rechargeable torches.

Caritas Freetown has been partnering with Manos Unidas to support women-oriented projects, especially among Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable communities. 

The partnership has included projects in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGB) and other disaster responses when the development arm of the Catholic Church in Freetown is targeting women beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, Caritas Freetown has expressed concern that many people, especially in areas prone to flossing, may experience disasters as the rains approach.

Past reports have indicated that Culvert, a low-land informal settlement in the East of Freetown, is one of the places that are left battered the most whenever disasters such as mudslides and flooding occur.

“Culvert and Susan’s Bay are below sea level and rainfall, as little as 25 minutes long whenever precipitation is high causes destructive flooding in these places,” Ismale told ACI Africa in the March 11 interview.

He added, “People's homes are submerged, and there is usually outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. There is usually heavy destruction and residents are usually forced to start life afresh.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.