Caritas Freetown Gives Cash Support to 80 Flood-Prone Households

Caritas Freetown has disbursed NLe3,480 in Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance to each of 80 households from three disaster-prone communities in Wellington, Western Area Urban.

The Trocaire-funded distribution took place on September 23, 2026, at Rokel Commercial Bank’s Wellington PMB Branch. Beneficiaries came from Moyiba, Moa Wharf and Bottom Oku.

The cash transfer forms part of a broader project focused on community disaster preparedness, flood mitigation, climate resilience and emergency response systems in vulnerable communities across Western Area Urban.

Support for community preparedness

Eliza G. O. C. Sillah, Programs Manager at Caritas Freetown, said the project was developed after an assessment identified gaps in disaster management structures in the targeted communities.

She said the intervention supports the strengthening of Community Disaster Management Committees and includes tools for activities such as community cleaning and the identification of houses in disaster-prone areas.

According to Sillah, the cash transfer is intended to help beneficiaries strengthen their homes and support their families. Financial literacy training was conducted before the disbursement to help recipients manage and use the funds properly.

Caritas Freetown plans to carry out post-distribution monitoring two weeks after the transfer. The exercise will assess how the money was used, its impact on beneficiaries and their satisfaction with the intervention.

Beneficiaries outline plans

Alusine Bangura, a beneficiary from Moyiba, said he planned to use part of the money to strengthen his house and the remainder to establish a small kiosk selling phone recharge cards.

Dora Mansaray of Moa Wharf said she intended to buy sand and cement to repair sections of her house damaged by heavy rainfall.

Preparedness before emergencies

Gerald King, Deputy Director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness at the National Disaster Management Agency, said residents in disaster-prone communities are particularly vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season.

King also linked many disaster-related incidents in Sierra Leone to human activities, including the continued occupation of disaster-prone areas and other actions that increase vulnerability.

He described the intervention as a complement to Government disaster management efforts and stressed its preventive purpose. “What is good about this intervention is that it’s not a response to disaster but preparedness,” he said.

The project is intended to strengthen communities’ capacity to prepare for, mitigate and recover from disasters, rather than provide assistance only after an emergency has occurred.