We arrived in Kenema on Tuesday evening after an eight-hour drive from Kambia. Kenema is one of the main diamond trading posts in Sierra Leone and was one of the areas most affected during the war. Many people in the surrounding areas still live in former camps for Liberian refugees who fled during the war.
I met a woman called Louise Harvest Hilton, who works for Brighter Future in Kenema. She told me about a woman called Bindu who died during child birth in Unama refugee camp.
She was a student at Eastern polytechnic in Kenema, but drove to the camp because the health facilities there are cheaper. She died at the hospital and, according to Louise, the doctor said that the delay in seeking treatment killed her.
Louise told me about another woman called Aminata who needed a blood transfer. She went to the hospital alone and the medical staff asked for a lot of money from her. Aminata then went to Defence for Children International and Action Plus to ask for assistance and they accompanied her to the hospital.
With their help, she was able to get a blood transfusion and safely deliver her child at a low cost. According to Louise, facilities exist but activists need to advocate for women to gain access as they are not aware of their rights and are taken advantage of.
She said that accompanying women to hospital to get access to free medication could be one of the roles that activist like her can play as part of the campaign.
We had the launch in the afternoon that ended in a downpour of rain. Tomorrow, we are going to Nikabo, where the entire village are Amnesty International members.
Every one in the world have right to get alive. and it’s really strange that a woman is dead because she could not get treatment in right time. we really need to consider about this problems . and the government need to concern about the health care of the citizens