Thursday, August 20, 2009

Flood waters rise again in Kroo Bay


From James Mansaray, Freetown Sierra Leone

Yesterday when I reported to you the conditions at Kroo Bay; it was much better. The water was low and less of a stress for its inhabitants.
I was there, with my daughters and their friend to drop off a handful of medication to the small clinic down there.
You never never know what this place is like till you step your feet on its soil.
It was my dream for the rains to slow down a little but the Season and month of August continues to make its mark.
It is said “Never stop the will of God”. So life is on and the struggles continue.....
My last blog post mention about this forgotten community, Kroo Bay which is a part of the famous Freetown we all know and hear about.
Hardly will I scoop this off my mind that a place like this, full of struggles and neglect, continues to exist in this day and time.
Even in the midst of all the poverty in Sierra Leone, Kroo Bay has more than its rightful share of tragedy.

With these pictures, you can tell what I mean and you will see the great need here. It’s only a greedy, uncaring mind that will ignore my plea for these unfortunate people.
From my experience this afternoon, after the seven hours continuous rainfall, Kroobay is in more troubles than what I reported yesterday on my last blog post.
Now, it’s not only about fixing the leaking roof, neither is just about manually bailing the waters out of the rooms, these people were busy searching for their belongings, and hoping to find treasures. Consider it odd searching for something where there is nothing. The waters got so high that dozens of hungry, locally raised pigs were carried away into the ocean. The search continues not only for these hungry creatures but also for stuffs that might be of good use from one man to the other. This is life in Kroo Bay!
Typically day by day, whatever resources you have are stripped away in the wink of an eye and you search for something that might come along to help you exist. You exist day to day, and hope is stashed away deep within you, you really don't see any signs of betterment for these inhabitants.
With the passing of each day, they are neglected, forgotten by those who have the means to help them. As these people's plight is pushed out of our memory, the death toll at Kroo Bay rises. A better life for them is an thought sitting on a shelf. But you know a few dollars given in the helpful hands of Nazareth House Apostolate could go a long way. It may not save all of the lives (although we will try) but for sure we can save one life, one person at a time. Join with us, be a part of this Nazareth House way. Give today.

James