Caritas Freetown Supports 40 Flood-Affected Households with Building Materials

Caritas Freetown has provided building materials to 40 vulnerable households in eight communities across the Western Area Urban and Rural Districts, supporting repairs to homes damaged by flooding and efforts to improve preparedness for future disasters.

The assistance was funded by CAFOD under the project titled Strengthening Community Flood Preparedness and Early Humanitarian Response for Vulnerable Communities and Households in Western Area Urban and Rural Districts, Sierra Leone.

Supplies distributed included bags of cement, zinc sheets, sticks and boxes of roofing nails. The beneficiary communities were Culvert, Portee, Bonga Town, Gray Bush, Goderich-Crab Tong, Levuma, Waterloo-Bofla and Grafton. Five beneficiaries in Crab Town, Levuma Beach, were also among those who received the materials.

Support targeted at vulnerable households

Alimatu D. Turay, the project lead, said Caritas changed its approach from cash assistance after concerns were identified about whether cash was always being used for its intended purpose.

“This time around, we changed our approach by providing building materials instead of cash support,” Turay said.

She said beneficiary selection was based on levels of vulnerability, including circumstances involving widows and persons with disabilities.

“Within these communities, you have people who are more vulnerable than others. There are widows and persons with disabilities. We considered those prevailing circumstances during the selection process,” Turay said.

Turay added that Caritas would return to the communities after six days to check whether the supplies had been used appropriately.

“We will visit the communities after six days to monitor whether they have used the materials appropriately,” she said.

CAFOD calls for further intervention

Dennis Momoh, CAFOD’s programme manager for Sierra Leone and Liberia, said his participation was intended to help assess whether project reports reflected conditions in the communities.

Momoh said the visit showed that additional intervention was needed. “After seeing the community, there’s a need for us to do more,” he said.

He said CAFOD was willing to provide further support, while noting that funding remained a challenge.

Rev. Fr. Paul Jusu, representing the executive director, said the donation reflected the Catholic Church’s commitment to promoting human dignity and well-being. He also assured vulnerable communities of the Church’s continued support.

Peter Menjor, speaking on behalf of the board, urged beneficiaries not to sell the donated supplies, saying that doing so would undermine the purpose of the assistance.

Community members describe flood impact

Amadu Jalloh, a community chief and beneficiary, said Caritas had previously supported residents of Crab Town through cash assistance and community cleaning activities. He said the cleaning exercise helped reduce the severity of flooding in the area.

Kadiatu Yillah, another beneficiary, said she intended to use the materials to restore parts of her home damaged by flooding. She said flooding damages homes and household property.

Expressing gratitude for the assistance, Yillah said: “I pray that the Almighty continues to provide for Caritas and CAFOD so they’ll continue to help not only us, but others who are also in need of this support.”

Caritas Freetown said its planned monitoring visits would assess how the materials were used, while Jalloh said he would also monitor beneficiaries to ensure the supplies served their intended purpose.