August 25, 2021
By Hafsatu z Bangura
A Fierce fire in Susan’s bay, Freetown, Highlights the insecurity and lack of access to basic services faced by residents of Sierra Leones’s informal settlements.
Susan’s Bay, a seaside slum community in Freetown, home to almost 4,500 people is one of Sierra Leone’s poorest informal settlements, unable to access formal housing; people are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions along the coast, with little access to roads, healthcare facilities, schools, water and sanitation.
It started on Wednesday, 24th march 2021 in the evening hours. In the closely knitted houses, the risk of fire breaking out is always high. Overcrowding, exclusion from city planning and spatial disparity create problems for emergency service provision and access. So, when disaster strikes, loss of life, injury and damage to properties and livelihoods is invariably high.
The recent fire caused multiple injuries and massive destruction of livelihoods, houses and properties, displacing hundreds of people.
Although the cause of the fire incident remains unknown, poor electrical installations or the extensive use of fire for outdoor cooking are most likely the cause.
A-Z did a follow-up case study of the aftermath of the incident and how it has affected the livelihoods of residents and commitments and the role government has played towards these people since the incident occurred.
In an exclusive interview with A-Z the chief at Susan’s bay community chief Alhaji Alimmamy Kamara 2 explained the embarrassment and struggle for shelter they face especially in the rainy season.
He said women and children are at high risk of this situation, despite the contributions of NGO’s, civil society groups, his Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and first lady of Sierra Leone have made towards them is still not enough as shelter is of main concern to them.
He called on the government and donor agencies to help them with affordable housing as children are at exposure to all kinds of illnesses.
He also narrated how the fire incident has affected school going children as schools, were burnt and children`s learning materials were also destroyed. He said children no longer attend school; rather they wander about finding scraps to sell just to get by for the day.
He said they have made visits to the Minister of lands, Minister of education, and even the mayor of Freetown city council Mrs. Yvonne Aki- Sawyer all have proved fruitless and they have showed little concern about their conditions.
Mr. Alimmamy Kamara also spoke about the unfulfilling promises of the president and NGO’s in hope of reconstructing standard and affordable housing structure which is yet to be implemented. He said they as a community have made several pleas to the government towards their situation with constant visitations to various ministries, and letters of urgent assistance in the construction of housing all to no result yet.
The chairlady at Susan’s bay Mrs. Kadiatu Conteh spoke to A-Z about the struggles they face as women in the community and how it has affected them and their children and source of livelihood is disrupted.
She disclosed that the situation has forced some men to abandon their families and seek shelter elsewhere.
She narrated how this has affected her children, who recently had a miscarriage, and other children who face constant illness due the cold.
Isata, a first year university student, narrated the unfulfilling promises of the government towards them and explained how the incident has affected her studies as she has no place to sleep, no clothes to wear neither any source of income to start with.
She expressed satisfaction with women organizations that have helped them.
Mr. Ibrahim Kargbo the Youth Chairman at Susan’s Bay also dilated on the hardship they faced as youths in the communities and how it has frustrated the lives of so many youths who had businesses on their own and also spoke about the unfulfilling promises been made up to date.
Good access to water has been a major challenge for them as there is only one community tap to serve the community and it’s not always accessible due to the schedules of Guma Valley Water Company. He called on the government to help them as they also makeup the population of Sierra Leone.