“It takes a village to raise a child,” as the proverb goes.
Though it’s an old saying, the idea of an entire community looking out for the health, safety, and well-being of their children is still relevant today. And nowhere is it perhaps more evident than in the small village of Laya Dee, Sierra Leone.
A Sierra Leone Red Cross Society volunteer in Laya Dee looks on as a community meeting is held in the shade of a tree in Laya Dee village.
Photo: IFRC/Rebecca Cole
Unknown illness sparks concern
Abu Dumbuya is a shy, yet smiley, teenager who lives with his parents and siblings in Laya Dee. Like most kids his age, he loves playing with his friends, going to school, and spending time with his family.
Abu sits in the shade outside a neighbour’s home in Laya Dee.
Photo: James Tamba-Martha/Sierra Leone Red Cross Society
Life was normal for Abu until one day, at age 14, he started developing worrying health symptoms.
“He started to complain of joint pain in his knees and hips, pain all over. His eyes went yellow, and he was finding it difficult to use his hands,” explains Abu’s father, Saido.
Abu was sent home from school due to the pain. Unsure of what the problem was, his parents first tried to treat him with traditional medicine, using local tree leaves boiled in water. When this didn’t help, they went to the local pharmacy where Abu was prescribed vitamin supplements. But the pain persisted.
“I was so scared because I was in a lot of pain. I missed school because of the pain and was missing playing with my friends and having family time,” says Abu.
Abu sits with his parents, Saido and Mabinti, as they talk to Red Cross volunteers about his journey to proper diagnosis.
Photo: James Tamba-Martha/Sierra Leone Red Cross Society
Seeking answers, Abu’s parents sought health advice from a private health centre. But rather than receiving support, the health centre offered no explanation of what was wrong and demanded lots of money.
At their wits’ end, Abu’s parents worried that Abu’s condition would deteriorate. But help came in the form of their local Sierra Leone Red Cross Society volunteer, Rebecca.
Red Cross and community leaders rally together
Rebecca spoke to the family and knew something was seriously wrong with Abu. Straight away, she alerted her supervisor, Sorbeh, who in turn called the Sierra Leone Red Cross branch manager for Kambia district, Dominic, for back-up.
“Dominic came and could see that Abu was in a very poor condition,” explains Rebecca.
Having had a bad experience with the private health centre, Abu’s family felt nervous about visiting a health centre again. So while Sorbeh fetched a local nurse on his motorbike to come and tend to Abu at home, Dominic called upon the local community chiefs for help encouraging the family to seek proper treatment.
After patient and sensitive discussion, Abu’s parents agreed Sorbeh could take him to the Community Health Centre. There, Abu finally received a proper diagnosis of sickle cell disease (SCD) —a genetic disorder that affects a person’s red blood cells — and several days of treatment.
Abu smiles as he stands surrounded by his parents, brother, and volunteer, Rebecca.
Photo: James Tamba-Martha/Sierra Leone Red Cross Society
Continued support for a healthy life
Now 16-years-old, Abu has had a much happier life since his diagnosis. Local Red Cross volunteers continue to accompany Abu for his regular check-ups at the health centre. His health has improved and he hasn’t experienced any sickle cell ‘crises’—periodic episodes of severe pain—in the past two years.
“I am happy because I am back playing with my friends like normal,” says Abu.
Abu’s older brother, Lamin, who is protective over his little brother, feels he is doing a lot better:
“We feel good and very grateful to the supervisor for intervening. We want to share advice with all people in our village to go to the Red Cross for help – the Community Health Volunteer is here for us. If anything bad happens again, we know what to do.”
Volunteer, Rebecca, stands proudly in front of a group of a children in Laya Dee village who she looks out for to make sure they get the health support they need.
Photo: James Tamba-Martha/Sierra Leone Red Cross Society
For Rebecca, a native of Laya Dee, the support she provided to Abu’s family is all in a day’s volunteering.
Trained through the USAID-funded Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3), she’s always there for her community—doing the rounds to check in on people and look out for signs of unusual health events.
“I like it when I can give support to my community. People come to me. I’m the first person they reach out to and I love giving back to my community,” says Rebecca.
To raise a child who is healthy and safe, it really does take a village. And all the better when that village has a Red Cross volunteer like Rebecca.
--
The support provided to Abu was made possible through the multi-country Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3).
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CP3 supports communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other partners to prevent, detect and respond to disease threats.
If you enjoyed this story and would like to learn more, sign up to the IFRC’s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Newsletter or follow the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society on X.