Sierra Leone

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day. emergency room. Isatta, 7 years old, is convulsing. Most probably she has been intoxicated by a traditional treatment, even if her mother denies it. The use of traditional medicine is common and very dangerous. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, operating theatres. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, physiotherapy room. In close-up Lawrence, 29 years old, a victim of the countless car accidents. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, physiotherapy room. Mohammed, 15 years old, another victim of car accidents. In the background treatment for infants with Erb’s palsy. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, intensive care room. Haja Rabia, 73 years old, is recovering from hip surgery. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, intensive care room. Reviewing x-rays. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical Centre, triage of a group of injured boys and a girl just arrived. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical Centre, a group of injured boys and a girl just arrived. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical Centre. A patient. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, dressing room. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, triage area. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, triage area. From left: Sama, 19 years old, with her son Kariati, 6 months, Fatmata, 20 years old, with her son Henry, 1 year and 9 months, Aminata, 45 years old, with her granddaughter of the same name, 1 year and 6 months. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, registration desk. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, waiting area. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, emergency room. Michael, 9 years old, is lethargic and can’t keep food down. His mother died one year ago. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day. Masakagbo, 6 years old, accidentally drank caustic soda when she was 1 year old. Since when women have started to produce soap at home with soda, many children ingest it and risk to die. Italian NGO Emergency is the only organization taking care of these children in Sierra Leone. The fishing line entering the nose is for driving the oesophagus dilatation through endoscopy. Worst cases need also a gastrostomy. While Maskagbo’s father left his family for he didn’t know how to cope with the accident, her mother faced it with courage, and she brought up her 3 children alone. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

First Aid Post, open 24/7. Gerdiru, 7 years old, last year accidentally ate caustic soda thinking it was salt. Since when women have started to produce soap at home with soda, many children ingest it and risk to die. Italian NGO Emergency is the only organization taking care of these children in Sierra Leone. The fishing line entering the nose is for driving the oesophagus dilatation through endoscopy. Worst cases need also a gastrostomy. Waterloo, Western Area Rural District, Sierra Leone 2017

First Aid Post, open 24/7. Abu, 9 years old, accidentally drank caustic soda thinking it was water. Since when women have started to produce soap at home with soda, many children ingest it and risk to die. Italian NGO Emergency is the only organization taking care of these children in Sierra Leone. The fishing line entering the nose is for driving the oesophagus dilatation through endoscopy. Worst cases need also a gastrostomy. Waterloo, Western Area Rural District, Sierra Leone 2017

First Aid Post, open 24/7. Adama, 10 years old, accidentally drank caustic soda thinking it was water. Since when women have started to produce soap at home with soda, many children ingest it and risk to die. Italian NGO Emergency is the only organization taking care of these children in Sierra Leone. The fishing line entering the nose is for driving the oesophagus dilatation through endoscopy. Worst cases need also a gastrostomy. Waterloo, Western Area Rural District, Sierra Leone 2017

Paediatric Centre, where 150 children are visited every day, ward. Gilo, 2 years old, accidentally drank caustic soda one month and a half ago. Since when women have started to produce soap at home with soda, many children ingest it and risk to die. Italian NGO Emergency is the only organization taking care of these children in Sierra Leone. The fishing line entering the nose is for driving the oesophagus dilatation through endoscopy. Worst cases need also a gastrostomy. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, kitchen. The cooks prepare all the meals for patients, hospitalized children’s mothers and the staff. In the background some of the hospital containers. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Surgical and Paediatric Centre, waste collection and disposal area. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Mariama manages to support herself and her 4 children selling cigarettes, candies, powdered milk, snacks and cooked meals outside of the Surgical and Paediatric Centre. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Aminata Gbla Sharif, 34 years old (left) and Marion Barrie, 34 years old (right), with their daughters. Like hundreds of other girls, they were abducted and gang raped by rebels when they occupied Freetown in January 1999. Slaves of the rebels for more than a year, they delivered their children in captivity, and they were disowned by their families when they were able to escape and return home. Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone 2017

Beatrice Godwin, fishwife, at home. With her work she sustains herself and her 5 sons and daughters. “Shallow Waters”, Goderich, Freetown. Sierra Leone 2017

“Shallow Waters”, Goderich, Freetown. Sierra Leone 2017

Sierra Leone is a little country known for big stories: the civil war - leaving 75.000 dead, half a million of displaced and countless injured and amputees - child soldiers (of whom 30% girls), the production of blood diamonds, Ebola, floods. But poverty kills more than conflicts and epidemics: this is one of the poorest countries in the world (181° on 186 in the United Nations’ Human Development Index), where 57% of the population is living with a little more than one US Dollar a day, life expectancy is 50 years, 161 children in 1.000 are dying before the age of 5 years, 1 woman in 100 is dying in childbirth. Italian NGO EMERGENCY is present with its Surgical and Paediatric Centre in Goderich, Freetown and First Aid Posts of Waterloo and Lokomasama. The Centre provides free high quality treatment in orthopaedic, trauma and emergency surgery for more than 100 patients and 150 children under 14 every day.

2021 Fundraising campaign for EMERGENCY

Sierra Leone

Laura Salvinelli