©InfoIt was during Sierra Leone’s civil war, when Ibrahim Chernov Jalloh was 14 years old, that he decided he wanted to join the Sierra Leone Red Cross.
“Like everyone, I lost a lot of family during the war,” Ibrahim says. “But amidst the fighting, I also saw people doing good. I saw Red Cross volunteers going out to the street to give people first aid, even collecting dead bodies. And I knew that I also wanted to volunteer with this humanitarian organisation. I wanted to help people.”
And that is exactly what Ibrahim has been doing for more than eight years. As the people of Sierra Leone struggle to recover from the effects of war, the Red Cross is playing a vital role in addressing the country’s health situation.
Health needs
Infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world and access to safe drinking water and adequate health services is very limited. However, volunteers, such as Ibrahim, play a vital role in educating communities about how they can improve their environments and address their own everyday healthcare needs. The training equips people with the knowledge to provide first aid, prevent diseases like malaria and address nutritional needs.
Ibrahim says: “I work in 15 communities, recruiting and training volunteers in first aid. We also do house visits, giving people mosquito nets and teaching them how to use them properly.
“I also help set up mothers’ clubs. In the clubs they do backyard gardens where they grow crops like ground nuts, cassava and rice, which they get to keep for their families or sell in the market.”
Selfless volunteers
“Although I finished secondary school, my father died not long after so I was not able to continue my studies,” Ibrahim says.
“I enjoy talking to people and educating them and I want to see the Red Cross grow.”
Volunteering for the Red Cross has helped Ibrahim develop important skills and knowledge. He spends six days a week working with communities and, along with hundreds of other selfless volunteers, is the lifeblood of the Sierra Leone Red Cross community health programme.
Find out more about how the Red Cross is helping people recover from the war