Managed by Ishmael Alfred Charles, the HealeyIRF has been awarded a United States Agency International Development grant through the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA). This grant is meant to support Healey’s work in Sierra Leone. The ASHA program works to support and strengthen local capacity and to increase mutual understanding between USA and other countries.
Healey is going to partner with Caritas Freetown to implement Innovate Your Future Project. It is meant to help youths who are at-risk in Sierra Leone and demonstrate to them the value of teamwork, science and innovation so that they can handle economic and healthcare challenges. As Sierra Leone still has a very youthful population.
Eight universal anaesthesia machines are going to be purchased and placed in four faith-based hospitals throughout Sierra Leone. This is because most hospitals in Sierra Leone face electricity outages and lack of medical oxygen machines. Youths are going to be trained on how the equipment is used. At the end of the project the youths must feel more empowered over their future
“This grant is a significant step forward in our work in Sierra Leone,” noted Ben Parra, Executive Director, Healey IRF..It is going to make the work of Caritas easy as they have been constrained not having the right equipment. Healey has worked in Sierra Leone since 2001 and has partnered with Caritas on a variety of relief, healthcare services and education. It is a two-year project. Receiving the grant , the Program Manager of Healey in Sierra Leone sounded grateful and hopeful. Ishmael Afred Charles has made a mark helping sick children in Sierra Leone who cannot afford expensive but necessary surgeries abroad. “We are going to ensure a positive trajectory in our country’s history,'” Ishmael noted.