Tabetha John left her home in Sierra Leone to live in the United States at age six. Ten years later, she continues to stay connected to her home country donating clothes, books and more to Africa.

Born in Freetown, Tabetha grew up around tropical beaches and had a great family. But on a recent trip to Sierra Leone, Tabetha said she witnessed poverty at a whole other level. After Sierra Leone’s civil war, many people lost their homes, and even more than that.

“A lot of people on the streets are missing limbs. I’ve seen homeless people missing their arms, or missing part of their leg,” she says. “A lot of [people] have scars on their faces too.”

Seeing these extreme cases of poverty motivated her. On the other side of the world, Tabetha gives back to Sierra Leone by donating clothes, shoes and books to the homeless.

As a co-leader for her school’s branch of the African Library Project, an organization that mobilizes US volunteers to organize book drives, Tabetha helps the Project build libraries in rural parts of Africa by collecting and sorting books.

“It’s my way of giving back even though I can’t be there,” says Tabetha.

Overall, the African Library Project as a whole has donated a total of 748,000 books. As a result, 701 libraries have been built in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Nigeria, Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi and Ghana.

“After the war, people not only lost their homes, but they didn’t have the opportunity to pursue an education. Building these libraries in rural parts of Africa is important because it gets people one step closer to a better future.”

Tabetha also helps fight poverty by donating used clothes and shoes to homeless children in Sierra Leone.
“My grandma and I would fill up those big barrel containers with my old clothes, shoes and stuff I don’t use. We ship them to my family in Sierra Leone who then give them out to the poor,” she says.

Tabetha hopes to continue these projects to not only fight poverty in Sierra Leone, but in all of Africa.
For more information on the African Library Project, visit their website here.

At ONE, we believe that trade that creates economic growth and opportunities for the poorest people is key to ending poverty in the long-term. That’s why we’re excited about a new project in Sierra Leone implemented by First Step Economic Opportunity Zone, a U.S.-based international development organization that aims to bring foreign direct investment to the world’s poorest countries.

Earlier this month, First Step officially announced the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a low-tax industrial area, on a large site close to Sierra Leone’s principle seaport. The goal is to boost local processing of its resources, create jobs and raise the value of Sierra Leone’s exports to the United States and the European Union. Facilities on the SEZ will have guaranteed electric power, water and other utilities to keep businesses and productivity running.

First Step’s first tenant is Africa Felix Juice, a tropical fruit manufacturer that will employ more than 90 people and purchase mangoes and pineapples from almost 1,000 local farmers. “It will brand the country,” said Sierra Leone Minister of Trade and Industry David Carew in the International Business Times. “You will be able to go a supermarket in Europe and see fruit juice made in Sierra Leone.”

Sub-Saharan Africa still faces challenges in accessing local, regional, and global markets, and we hope that First Step’s SEZ will bring economic opportunity and prosperity to Sierra Leone. Learn more about the Sierra Leone SEZ on First Step’s website, and let us know what you think about the concept of these special low-tax zones in the comments below.

Cholera outbreak kills 200 in Cameroon: Cholera has killed 200 people in Cameroon and aid agencies feared the outbreak could spread to neighboring regions and nations. The disease is caused by contaminated water and about 70 percent of people living in the country’s far north region, bordering Nigeria and Chad, do not have access to potable water. Sanitation is also limited in the area and recent flooding has aggravated the situation. (CNN)

Reform in Rwanda: The Financial Times argues there are two reasons Paul Kagame was re-elected to Rwandan president with 93 percent of the vote. First, Kagame has turned Rwanda into one of the least corrupt, most secure countries in Africa. Second, he eliminated any opposition. (Financial Times)

Party Says Nigeria President Can Run in Vote: Nigeria’s ruling party is allowing President Goodluck Jonathan to run in next year’s election, despite an informal agreement calling for a Muslim candidate. The unwritten agreement calls for the presidency to alternate between Christians and Muslims. (Wall Street Journal)

Sierra Leone: New Agriculture Plan Sprouts: Sierra Leone’s finance minister has announced the government will increase the agriculture budget from 7.7 percent to 9.9 percent. The budget will go to facilitating and strengthening small and medium scale farmers as well as promoting large scale farming and the development of agri-business. The budget is also intended to facilitate access to markets for selected commodities like rice, oil palm, cocoa and fisheries. (Mohamed Fofanah, AllAfrica.com)

Uganda: Donors Should Review Aid Cut : Development partners plan a 10% cut of their $360M contribution to Uganda’s budget this year because of government corruption. The New Vision argues however that donors should know that the aid cut will impact the poor more negatively than the state officials, as social services will most likely be cut because of budget constraints. (New Vision)

Kenya not out of woods despite constitution vote: Kenya’s long-awaited new constitution is facing a lengthy implementation process that could take years. The law that aims to check presidential powers and curb the corruption, political patronage, land-grabbing and tribalism faces challenges of competing politicians sharing positions on the implementation committee. The concern is whether politicians who opposed the law will try to block it if chosen to be on the committee. (James Macharia, Reuters)

Election raises concerns about suppression of rights – Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, is set to win another term Tuesday in an election marred by killings, a lack of credible political opponents and censorship. Critics are calling the leader the continent’s latest strongman, suppressing human rights to deepen his grip on power. (Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post)

American leadership crucial at MDG Summit – President of Bread for the World, Rev. David Beckmann, argues that by showing leadership on foreign assistance reform at the upcoming Millennium Development Goals Summit, President Obama will “attach actions to his words on development“ and hopefully lead others to empower the world’s poorest people to realize a brighter future. (Huffington Post)

U.S. plan fails to end Africa’s trade isolation – Ten years after the U.S. adopted the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) – a program that boldly proclaimed it would help end Africa’s isolation from world trade – American officials are being candid about its failures, emphasizing its modest results despite “the highest of hopes.” (Alan Beattie, Financial Times)

Sierra Leone taking initiative for maternal health – Health advocate, Mary Robinson, highlights the major steps Sierra Leone has taken in promoting maternal health and gender equality, both for its people and globally as a model of leadership and initiative in this critical area. She calls for other nations to look to Sierra Leone as an example as we move toward review of the Millennium Development Goals.

Rotavirus vaccines save poorest children, say reports – Trials in Asia and Africa show rotavirus vaccines can prevent between 39 to 48 percent of infections among children in some of the poorest countries in the world, with new reports urging governments of developing nations to make the vaccines a priority. (Maggie Fox, Reuters)

We must do better against malaria, says President – Following this week’s African Union summit, Tanzanian President, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, asserts that leaders must do more to eliminate all preventable malaria deaths, starting with the goal of reaching universal mosquito-net coverage by the end of this year. (The Guardian)

New TB test must reach more people, says WHO – A new diagnostic tool that reduces to two hours the time needed to detect drug-resistant tuberculosis must be made available to populations vulnerable to the disease, a World Health Organization expert said. “These tools are very expensive, but the scale up should be carefully planned,” said one WHO adviser. (Reuters)

Millions awarded for TB and HIV/AIDS fight in Uganda – The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has been awarded $38 million by USAID to provide integrated TB and HIV/AIDS services in the southwest region of Uganda. The new program seeks to support health service delivery at the district level to provide comprehensive services in the region.” (Rosebell Kagumire, The Independent)

African leaders must focus on maternal health – Ex-Irish president Mary Robinson urged African leaders to boost support for maternal health, during a visit to Sierra Leone where mortality rates are among the highest in the world. “If the African Union succeeds in fulfilling its commitment to maternal health, it will benefit the economies of countries to have healthy populations,” she said. (AFP)

Flower power in Kenya – Slate explores the burgeoning flower industry in Kenya’s Rift Valley, where ambitious plans of turning the country into a global powerhouse are blooming into reality. Though environmentalists may disagree with some of the growing methods, one farmer asserts, “We are branding ourselves as a flower-growing country.”  (Alexis Okeowo, Slate)

SOS Children’s Village has the background:

Pregnant women, breast-feeding mums and children under five will no longer have to pay for health care in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has the world’s highest child mortality rate. For every 100,000 live births in the west African nation, as many as 1,800 women die, according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). And every year another half a million pregnant women die each year because they can’t access healthcare. Others have been imprisoned in clinics, because they cannot pay doctors’ fees.The country’ s president announced in November that it is set to scrap maternal and child health user fees on Independence Day, April 27. But in a country with only about 170 doctors for more than five million people, minimal medical supplies and a health service recovering from 11 years of civil war, making the free service work will be a huge job. Getting rid of fees is a start, but critics are asking whether this really will be a cure-all for the country’s mums and children.

Health centres are few and far between in Sierra Leone, often far away from remote and poor communities. Besides user fees, poor people face other barriers to maternal healthcare such as transport costs and cost of being away from work. Fast decision making, better transport and quick treatment are more important in saving lives than free health care said a gynaecologist in the capital, Freetown. “At times, the husband – who has to decide – is not there,” he told United Nations news service, IRIN. “Or maybe the mother will say: ‘No, let’s wait. Or maybe there is an old woman in the community who will say: ‘Wait, wait, wait’ until it is too late.”Traffic delays and frequent delays at clinics can also be the difference between life and death. “The patient… gets to the facility – no doctor, no nurse, no medicine, no blood and the patient has to wait until a doctor is called on duty.”

The delegation that I have the pleasure of being a part of arrived in Sierra Leone last night to continue our Africa tour. This morning, we were joined at breakfast by officials from the United States Embassy and the Sierra Leonian Anti-Corruption Commission for a thorough briefing on the political, social and economic conditions prevailing in Sierra Leone. The first image that comes to one’s mind when you think of this beautiful country is probably out of the movie, Blood Diamonds, which depicted the civil war that was fueled by illicit diamond trading and resulted in the loss of so many lives. But in this now peaceful nation, we were told today that the population, after having suffered so much, no longer wants war and really just wants to move forward. But because jobs don’t exist, peace is fragile and external shocks like a refugee situation from neighboring countries could quickly plunge this country back into crisis.

In order to build on what has been achieved so far, governance structures are being put in place to ensure that gains achieved are entrenched. The Anti-Corruption Commission has been empowered to arrest and prosecute cases of governance abuses and they have already put away a few Ministers and the Head of the Revenue Commission. The President and the government need to be congratulated for successfully bringing to justice many of the leaders responsible for corruption. Sierra Leone is an example to the rest of the world of what can be achieved by good government and strong political will.

But serious challenges remain. For example, the fisheries industry in Sierra Leone is being devastated by illegal trawlers from China, South Korea and Spain! The long-term impact of their illegal trawling could be the destruction of the artisanal fisheries sector which could lead to a food insecurity issues as well as increased unemployment. This is what happened in Somalia where former fishermen turned to piracy in the absence of a means to maintain a livelihood.

Sierra Leone is also used as a transit point for smuggling illegal drugs to Europe and the United States and the drug routes are also being traced to Sahelian countries where the proceeds can go on to support many illicit activities.. Civil society must be strengthened, educated and supported so that they can come out and challenge corrupt practices wherever they exist.

Our group also had a great meeting with Sierra Leone’s resident, Ernest Koroma, who told us about his country’s strategic priorities focused around building basic infrastructure and creating an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish. I am also delighted, as a Global Health Advocate, that the President has approved the removal of maternal and child health-related user fees which will now make their access to healthcare free. This is wonderful and the donors need to support the implementation of this great initiative so that the resources will be there to support.

To better understand the policies that have been put in place to support the private sector, we went on to the Ministry of Extractive Industries to meet with the man at the helm of the country’s most important foreign exchange earning sector. Sierra Leone has so many minerals but just has not had the prevailing conditions for managing their resources efficiently. You have to be certified to operate in the extractive industry in Sierra Leone and the Ministry polices the industry to ensure compliance. There is now a legal framework in place to ensure the equitable distribution of revenue generated from minerals. The government is also mandating special attention to the communities where the minerals are found by building in strong rehabilitation requirements into the new mining contracts.

As an Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) candidate country, Sierra Leone has incorporated the transparency recommendations into the country laws and they now publicly disclose receipts from their revenue proceeds. The new law also requires the mining companies to negotiate socially responsible projects with the communities they operate in before their license is approved. As you can probably imagine, the Ministry is under capacitated but doing their best. Diamond fields spread over a 20,000km area, almost over the entire country. There is 570km of coastline to protect from diamond and gold smuggling and borders with Liberia and Guinea are long and porous. But I am proud to say I noted the government’s commitment to progress in our interactions today and with the support of the international community they can do so much more.

In April of 2009, a group of jewelers were caught trying to smuggle 28 uncertified Sierra Leonian diamonds, with an average weight of about 40 carats each, into New York. They were seized at JFK airport but have yet to be returned to Sierra Leone. The United States government is doing their part to ensure that illegal diamonds do not enter their country and I applaud their action and encourage all other concerned countries to abide by these principles. Thanks to the Kimberley process, Sierra Leone’s wealth can be protected and will not continue to be taken away from its people. Sierra Leone has made huge progress in providing better healthcare and improved governance which is making life better for its people. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and my group of girls will do all we can to support Sierra Leone’s best efforts to lift their country out of poverty and secure economic opportunities for all.

I also recommend this corresponding photo gallery, which chronicles Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown.

Excerpts from Kraft’s piece below, full article here

West Africa is of particular concern to world health officials. With shortages of medicine, trained doctors, reliable electricity, clean water and such basics as sterilized gloves, countries often lack the means to identify and deal with new disease threats.

“As we turn over more and more rocks in more and more places, we find more passages for disease,” said Dr. Scott Dowell, director of global disease detection at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Most aren’t going to be the next HIV or SARS, but it’s pretty hard to tell which ones will and which ones won’t.”

[...] The country has only two pediatricians, and Thorlie is one of four obstetricians. All work at Princess Christian.

Doctors Without Borders set up clinics in Bo, the second-largest city, during the civil war. Now it’s time to begin pulling out and move to other countries in crisis, but Jan van’t Land, the local director, says he’s worried.

“We’re in a difficult situation,” he said. “If we leave, who would take over? It might create another crisis.”

When Koroma took office in 2007, his wife, Sia, launched a global effort to draw attention to the public health crisis. An oil industry chemist before the war, she started a career in nursing during the couple’s years in London. Her evangelical work has brought some help, but she acknowledges that progress has been slow.

“We are faced with so many problems — illiteracy, poverty, youth unemployment and the need for gender empowerment,” she said. “I’m trying to be an advocate for women and children, because they are the most vulnerable.”

The story of Saio Marah highlights some of the factors behind these high mortality rates. Marah arrived at the hospital by motorbike, the predominant mode of transport in the rural Sierra Leone. She is examined by Dr. Konteh (an ophthalmologist by training), who informs that her that she had waited too long to come to the hospital: the baby’s heart rate is too fast and she needs an emergency caesarian section. But all of the surgical nurses had gone home and the operation will have to wait until the team can track its way back to the hospital.

The article continues:

It was a Monday evening, and her husband, Mohamed Barrie, said she had gone into labor on Saturday. Both of them were worried about the expense of going to the hospital, he said, and were sure she could deliver easily enough without assistance from hospital doctors. So they had gone to a neighborhood clinic where a nurse examined her and sent her home. Now she was three centimeters dilated, her water had broken and she had finally come to the only hospital in Koinadugu, a sprawling and rural expanse in the far northeastern corner of this West African nation.

“This is our problem — all the delays,” said Samuel Kargbo, the British-trained director of the hospital and the only other physician in the country’s largest and poorest district.

The region’s largely illiterate population lives in villages scattered over a mountainous area about the size of Connecticut. The few rutted roads are often washed-out and impassable.
Even Kabala, the largest town, has no electricity or running water. Outlying villages are little more than a few thatched-roof huts. Families grow rice and vegetables, but this month, in the height of the rainy season there is less to harvest, less to eat.

Kargbo said many women delay seeking medical care for their pregnancies. He said many don’t fully understand the risks, and are daunted by the costs and distances they need to travel for care. So they tend to rely on poorly trained local midwives. When problems develop, they end up walking, or being carried in makeshift hammocks, for hours or even days to reach the hospital.

Saio’s story sheds light on the “three delays” of maternal health that are usually responsible for mothers’ deaths in childbirth: delays in not recognizing that complications are serious enough to require help, delays in getting to an appropriately equipped treatment center, and delays encountered in starting treatment at a facility because of a lack of health care personnel, equipment or drugs.

You can read Saio’s full story here. Also be sure to check out the photo and video galleries. The story is part of a feature series by the Washington Post called “A Woman’s World”, an in-depth look at women’s struggle for equality in countries across the world.

-Nora Coghlan

From Reuters:

“We want a stronger focus on poverty reduction, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and the gender issues of poverty. I have seen myself today the female face of poverty,” Alexander said after visiting a packed clinic near Makeni in Sierra Leone.

He administered polio vaccine to a baby and medicine to its mother — a gesture of help in an area where health workers said there are just two doctors for 321,000 people.

“The clinic is so tight (crowded) we have to use the ground for deliveries. It is not hygienic,” said Nabinta Koroma, a maternal child health worker, pointing to the filthy tiled floor covered in urine from a crowd of children waiting for checkups.

Britain sent troops to shore up Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown against a rebel threat in 2000, and then helped rebuild its security forces after a decade-long war fuelled by gems dug from the mud of its rich eastern diamond fields. British aid is now turning more to development projects than security in a bid to help the country’s poor, Alexander said.

Read the full piece here.