Sierra Leone: COVID-19 awareness and prevention

At the moment of posting this, Sierra Leone has confirmed 26 cases of COVID-19 in total, and 531 people are in quarantine (The Ministry of Information and Communication, April 17th). Although these numbers a not high compared to the rest of the world, awareness of the risks of the spread of the virus in the country is high.

Especially the people living in informal settlements are at risk. The impact of national and community lockdown, depleted health systems, food insecurity, travel restrictions and the overall economic decline are harming the physical and psychological well-being of vulnerable youth living in informal settlement. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable, as they are vulnerable towards sexual and gender based violence. This impact is further magnified for groups that are already vulnerable and marginalized, such as people with disabilities, and young people engaged in menial jobs to make a living on a daily basis. Such marginalized groups also face the challenge of accessing information and services.

From their response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2014, Youth Dream Centre Sierra Leone has experience with reaching the most vulnerable in times of crisis. Marginalized groups are often not receiving enough accurate information to make informed decisions which could keep them, their families, and their communities safe, and adapt their behaviors and practices. Vulnerable individuals and communities often live in isolation from popular information channels, which makes standard information dissemination methods ineffective. Sensitization, especially in times of emergency, requires dialogue and discussion to confront misconceptions and false beliefs. And behavioral change might also require material support.

Youth Dream Centre Sierra Leone, with support through Dreamtown, has made efforts to raise awareness and provide sanitation materials in nine vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone across the three cities Freetown, Makeni, and Kono. Out of the current 26 cases identified, 15 are found in the urban area. This highlights the importance of raising awareness in cities. Dreamtown’s partnership with Youth Dream Centre Sierra Leone is funded by CISU - Civil Society in Development.

Together, we continue to explore how we can support in the communities. If you want to learn more about how life looks in Sierra Leone during COVID-19, follow Dreamtown on Instagram and Facebook where we share updates in our stories. You can also follow Youth Dream Centre on Facebook.

Illustration and graphics by Stine Kronsted Pedersen (Dreamtown)

Text by Paul A. Kargbo, Isatu Mansaray, Peter F. Bangura (Youth Dream Centre Sierra Leone) and Nina Ottosen (Dreamtown)

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