S/Leonean US Nurse Donates to Connaught Hospital

Kadijatu Jalloh, a Geriatric Nurse working at the CapitalCaring Hospital and Cardiac Health of Hyattsuville Hospice in Maryland, United States of America on 18^th January 2022 presented unflinching support which includes pillows at the Connaught Hospital, Freetown. 

Given the crux of the donation, Kadijatu said her mother had been admitted to the hospital a year ago where she noticed the hospital needs backing materials and to her, most of the beds in the hospital did not have pillows, on other hand, most patients used their clothes to make a very uncomfortable pillow.

She promised to do more in subsequent times and the 79 pillows provided will serve the hospital in many ways.

As a nurse, she emphasized that she will continue to surveillance and identify avenues of support they can provide for the Connaught hospital including equipment or financial support to the hospital to buy to purchase the needful particulars.

Kadijatu Jalloh calls on others especially medical personnel in the Diaspora to come and give their support because people are suffering especially those in sickbeds in Connaught hospital.

 Fatamata Kanja Jalloh, a Senior Metro at Connaught Hospital expressed appreciation for Kadijatu Jalloh’s timely donation which will efficiently help patients who are admitted to the hospital.

Nurse Fatamata described that it is of essence that most patients need pillows on their beds, and sleeping with pillows will yield dividend results like it makes patients feel comfortable which is key, and even though the hospital has but they are not enough.

Budget Advocacy Network Meets Journalists & CSOs

By  Anthony Vandy

The Coordinator for Budget Advocacy Network, Abubakarr Kamara, spoke to this medium at the inception meeting of the Sierra Leone SDRs (Special Drawing Right) Coalition, and highlighted the project’s overall objective, which he says is to mobilize the public to engage on debt and SDR allocations advocacy to influence policymakers at the national level while linking the same to regional and global levels.

According to him, the project’s specific goals include forming a national coalition on the usage, transparency, and accountability of SDRs in Sierra Leone, as well as generating evidence on the need for SDRs in the health and education sectors, as well as the need for extra funding.

According to him, SDRs are utilized to fund the health and education sectors, as evidenced by the 2022 budget.

Citizens should hold government accountable for the transparent and accountable use of SDRs, using evidence on the effective use of SDRs to join global partners in advocating for the reallocation of unused SDRs to countries like Sierra Leone, as well as debt reduction and cancellation, he added.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced Special Drawing Rights (SDR) in 1969 as an international reserve asset.

The US dollar, Japanese yen, British pound, euro, and Chinese serve as the basis for the unit of account value. It was designed and utilized historically to increase international reserves, gain access to more funding, encourage foreign investment, and contribute to the stability of the national currency’s purchasing power.

The IMF’s SDR section issued SDRs four times between 1970 and 2009, for a total of USD 318 billion. The majority of this asset has been retained as foreign reserves. Members can “sell or use part or all of their allocations,” according to the IMF, swapping them for “freely useable currencies.”

“Buy and sell SDRs both spot and forward; borrow, lend, or pledge SDRs; use SDRs in swaps; or use or receive SDRs in donations,” according to the rules.

SDRs are not loans, debt, or obligations that must be repaid to the IMF. Countries incur a significantly low annual interest rate when their currencies are exchanged for freely usable currencies, which is currently 0.05 percent

Their use is contingent on other countries’ willingness to accept them in exchange for the aforementioned currencies. If there aren’t enough countries prepared to take SDRs in exchange for freely useable currency, the IMF can specify which members with no balance-of-payments issues must accept SDRs.

UNICEF Donates 17 Motorbikes to FSU

With support from the Government of Japan, under the Response to the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on child right and resilience building in Sierra Leone project, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has donated 33 motorbikes to the Family Support Unit (FSU) of the SLP and the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA).

Speaking at the donation ceremony, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. Ambrose Michael Sovula emphasis on the need to protect children, noting that useful children today are better citizens tomorrow.

The donation he went on to say was to augment the government of Sierra Leone in providing care service for children.

With the motorbikes, the FSU he said would be able to access hard to reach communities and villages.

He however pleaded with UNICEF to remember the SLP for capacity building through training.

“When there is no proper policing, there is a breakdown in law and order and by extension, the children will suffer” cried the IGP, for which he called for help that will help prevent the children from suffering.

He concluded by commending the President Bio led administration for giving the SLP operational independency which he said has led to quality and better service delivery and assured that the motorbikes donated would be used for it intended purpose.

Earlier, the country representative for UNICEF, Suleiman Braimah explained that the key mandate of UNICEF is the safety and protection of children.

UNICEF he added was doing all it can to make sure children grow up in a healthy and conducive environment.

He therefore expressed hope that the motorbikes will help increase access to hard to reach communities, enhance geographic coverage in preventing and response to violence against children and gender base violence across the country including through the 6 one stop centres as well as improve monitoring of health facilities and birth and death registration of children.

“We would be doing disservice to the next generation if we fail to provide them the right of legal identity and protect them from all forms of violence and exploitation.

UNICEF he said therefore stands ready to enhance FSU and NCRA business process to prevent and respond to sexual gender base violence and other forms of violence against women and children.

He expressed optimism that the motorbikes will contribute to the unwavering effort of FSU and NCRA to increase access to justice for all women and children in contact with the law