sierra leone

AFTER THE CONFLICT:
Sierra Leonean Families Rebuild their Community and their Homes with the Help of CARE
By Cynthia Glocker, press officer

Rashid Unun Cole retired to the suburban community of Kissy town on the eastern edge of Freetown, Sierra Leone. To supplement his income, he and his wife, Alaphina, owned and operated a small convenience store in the basement of their home. They spent their free time enjoying their grandchildren, but that was all before the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels destroyed Kissy in January.

The rebels torched the Cole' home and thousands of others during an offensive to gain control of Freetown, the capital city of this small West African country.

"When the rebels came here I was nice to them," remembers Cole. "I am not a politician, so I did not expect them to burn the house of the private or poor people."

Cole, his wife and grandson site outside their home, which is being rebuilt with CARE's help.

Contrary to Cole's respectful overtures, the rebel battalion - mostly made up of 16-and 17-year-old boys - kicked open his door, looted the entire inventory of his store and threatened the lives of his family if they refused to cooperate. The Coles' house was set aflame. For moments, they sadly watched the destruction of their home and livelihood, before the couple and their grandson fled into the bush for safety.

Upon returning to Kissy days later, the Coles found much of their home completely destroyed by the fire, but they could still seek shelter in the concrete-constructed basement. Without food, water, furniture or cooking utilities, the couple moved into the basement with their grown son and daughter, as well as their three grandchildren.

"We suffered here without eating or drinking for 10 days," remembers Cole as he walks through the basement. "But I feel confident when I live in the basement because it is my home. I don't want my family to go to the camps."

CARE Begins Program to Rebuild Kissy

After the fighting subsided weeks later, CARE immediately initiated a cooperative program to help families, like the Coles, rebuild their homes by providing them with plastic sheeting to repair their roofs, nails to secure their homes' structure and tools to do the work.

To help facilitate the rapid reconstruction of homes, CARE provides food to small groups of men and women who work together to restore a house or multifamily structure. This team concept allows homes to be rebuilt faster because there are more people to accomplish the work, and it allows other adults to earn a much-needed supply of food for their families.

"I have five men working for me to rebuild my house, and CARE is giving me food for them, so I can pay them in food," says Cole. "I am an old man, and I needed someone to assist me. I could not have rebuilt my house because I am retired. I am pleased with CARE."

Just down the street from the Cole family, Idirsse Camera is completing the reconstruction of the roof of his four-bedroom, mud-brick home. Camera has spent weeks rebuilding his house, which was also set on fire by the rebels. As a young father, Camera misses his 4-year-old son, 3-year-old daughter and his wife, who left Kissy in fear after the attack.

"My wife are children and staying with my mother, that is why I am working so hard," says Camera. "Because of the destruction, my wife ran away. When I finish, they will come home."

Camera's home is almost complete. He has finished rebuilding the walls and now works on his roof. Once made of shiny corrugated iron sheets - popularly called zincs in Sierra Leone - the roof is now covered in white heavy-duty plastic sheeting, provided by CARE. Underneath, Camera has used the once glossy zincs - now pitted with small holes from the fire - as the foundation of his roof.

"CARE has done a lot of work for me and has given me a tarp [plastic sheeting]," says Camera gratefully. "I have nothing to do without CARE's help. Now, I have been able to help myself and rebuild my roof."

Prince Tucker stands on the ground looking upward to Camera, who remains on the roof. Tucker is advising Camera on the strength of the plastic sheeting and how it will protect his family from rain for at least two years, enough time for Camera to save enough money to purchase new zincs.

Tucker meets with Sierra Leoneans who are rebuilding their homes with the help of CARE.

In his job overseeing much of CARE's work in Kissy, Tucker works with Camera, Cole and others to rebuild their homes. A geologist by trade, Tucker began working for CARE three years ago, when his work in the mining region of Sierra Leone became too dangerous because of the civil war.

Currently, Tucker is working with nearly 700 families who are currently rebuilding their homes, constructed mostly with mud-bricks. He estimated that more than 1,500 houses were completely destroyed in Kissy during the siege in January.

"If Sierra Leone had a long-term settled and secure environment, people could rebuild without the help of nongovernmental organizations like CARE," says Tucker. "After war, they cannot afford it. With peace, stores will reopen and people can go about their normal business."