Concern Blogs

Women in Tonkolili, Sierra Leone test out a new pump supported by Concern Worldwide

“How ‘de body?” – is the standard greeting in Krio, the lingua franca of Sierra Leone. Anyone who has been to Sierra Leone has almost certainly been initiated into the vibrant language of Krio upon hearing this phrase.  And the standard answer is “‘De body fine!”

This variation on the standard English “How are you?” at first seems refreshingly simple and literal, but there is a complicated subtext here linked to the harsh realities of life in Sierra Leone. In this country, average life expectancy, along with rates of maternal, infant, and child mortality, and the population’s access to clean water are among the worst on the planet.  Sierra Leone is ranked at 177 out of 177 countries in the UN Human Development Index.

In many, many cases, if a Sierra Leonean is telling you “‘De body fine”, it is most likely not the literal truth. Most Sierra Leoneans have experienced major, even life-threatening illnesses up close and personally, such as cholera, typhoid, malaria, persistent and recurrent diarrhea, pneumonia, serious complications in pregnancy and chidbirth, chronic and severe malnutrition.

Man puts the final touches to a new well constructed with support from Concern in Sierra Leone

The truth is, however, that there is real reason for hope and optimism in Sierra Leone.  We’ll have video, photos and other  content to share soon so you can see the evidence for yourself of communities contributing labor, resources, and maintenance to provide facilities for health care, water, and schools that they can sustain on their own with minimal financial support from Concern. And we will have lots of evidence of the comprehensive rural and urban water and sanitation program in urban slums and the most remote rural villages that are improving health and saving lives.

My colleague, filmmaker Jimmy Garland, and I interviewed Moses Kabia, the Ministry of Health’s District Water and Sanitation Coordinator in rural Tonkolili, and he said forcefully:

“Whenever there has been an outbreak of cholera in the district, the areas in which Concern is operational were not affected.  In all of the district, we have, from time to time, outbreaks of diarrhea and vomiting…But Concern’s operational areas don’t suffer from these horrible disease conditions…They are working hand in hand with government to train up community members so they will know how to take care of their water sources…T hey are training up technicians from the community who can make the repairs [of wells and water systems] when there is a breakdown….If we continue like this, definitely, within a very few years, we and Concern will have taken in all of the communities within Tonkolili district and what a marvelous contribution it will be!”