Colm Hogan, Julie Kavanagh and Siobhan Tighe discuss their recent visit to Matome, Sierra Leone where families are recovering from a devastating mudslide.
Colm Hogan serves as Church Officer in Trocaire, Julie Kavanagh is part of the Faith Development Services team in the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin and Siobhan Tighe works in the Office for Evangelisation & Ecumenism in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
Don’t Give Up On Them
for more info and to donate – www.trocaire.org
In the early hours of August 14th 2017 a devastating landslide struck Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Four minutes is all it took to destroy the hillside community of Matome.
Kumba who is 7 years old is featured on this year’s Trócaire box. Her family was one of the few families to survive the disaster. 80% of their neighbours were killed. Kumba’s father Sahr and mother Finda lost the home they built and everything they own. They are lucky to be alive but the challenge they face is daunting.
Trócaire supports families so they can rebuild their lives and keep their children safe and in school. After the landslide, our partners supported survivors with psychosocial support to help them cope with the chaos and uncertainty. We also provided families with essential hygiene and household equipment such as soap, sanitary items, a kettle, plates and cups. Children received school kits, which meant they had some basic materials and could attend a temporary school where they were staying nearby.
Over the coming months Trócaire will develop further supports and business training to help families rebuild their lives. We will also focus on women and girls, who are particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of disasters.
By supporting Trócaire this Lent you can help people like Kumba and her family to rebuild their lives after disaster and tragedy.