KROO BAY, 21 July 2008 (IRIN)
- The Kroo Bay area of the Sierra Leone capital Freetown is one of the
poorest and most marginalised in the country.
During the country's
six-month rainy season, flood waters wash refuse and filth into
people's houses, meaning waterborne diseases are extremely frequent. A
non-governmental organisation has set up a project where volunteers
administer basic first aid and give out life-saving rehydration salts
to people suffering from severe diarrhea and cholera. Unisa Turay is
one of those volunteers. "There
are 60 of us volunteers here in a community of 6,000 people. We have
been trained to recognise and treat diarrhea, cholera, and other basic
waterborne diseases, and to educate people in the community about
prevention. "Diarrhea is the main sickness we are called
on to treat. When people get it, they can come to us and we give them
the [rehydration salts] to cure it. "Many people don't know or
understand why they get sick, and even when they do, diarrhea is so
commonplace that they don't take it seriously until they start vomiting
and frequently stooling. Then they come to us. "I
wanted to do this because I can't just sit watching people in my
community suffering and dying. I see helping other people like helping
myself. "I want to do more in this community – I can't just sit
and watch people suffering while this whole area goes down the drain."
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