Some groups of amputees in the Grafton Community have expressed dismay over what could be described as neglect from the authorities concerned.
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Report, amputees and the war wounded were to receive a reparations package which they did receive, however, many of those who received the package saw it as a pittance, for they alleged that they could hardly do anything meaningful out of it.
Mamie Kamara, who is also an amputee disclosed that she has suffered from a protracted illness and has not had the opportunity to be diagnosed by a medical doctor because she could not afford it. “I am sure that I will die from this illness because of neglect by those who should care for us,” she expressed herself in tears.
In recent times, the Troglodyte Society donated cash to some of these amputees at the Grafton Community and has expressed interest in further helping these vulnerable groups of people.
Musa Tarawallie, an amputee revealed that he did not benefit from the reparation package that was given to some of his colleagues, noting that not all of them benefitted. “I am a victim of the war. My feet were chopped off by rebels and now I cannot fend for myself, not to talk about sending my eldest daughter to a college after she completed secondary school,” Tarawallie lamented.
A policy of the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education has incorporated students who are also persons living with disabilities and are attending private colleges into the Sierra Leone grant-in-aid scheme.
However, many of these amputees are still doubtful as to the effectiveness of the policy, noting that these grants are usually awarded based on recommendations from those in high offices.
With the consent of her mother, twelve years old Abibatu Bundu told me that she wants to become a lawyer, but expressed fears as to whether she would actualize that dream, for her mother has introduced her to trade. “It is not as if I’m happy to sell fish ball, but I also feel sorry for my mother who could not use her legs effectively,” she told me.
Yeanoh Mansaray, who is an amputee told me that he attends a private college when she is acquiring training on information Communication technology, but she remains doubtful as to whether she will complete the course, for she now finds it difficult to pay her second-year fees.
She looks forward to benefiting from the policy which seeks to let amputees in private colleges into the grant-in-aid scheme.
However, the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara has disclosed that it is the Ministry of Finance that will determine the number of those who will be awarded the grant.
Executive Director, Citizens Advocacy Network (CAN), Thomas Moore Conteh remarked that Second Two of the 1991 Constitution, which talks about the provisions of educational opportunity does not confer legal rights, noting that nobody can sue the government for failing to provide an educational opportunity for its citizens. However, he urged the government to cater to the vulnerable who are also important individuals in our society, hence, the need to treat them as such.
This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
By Sulaiman Sesay
