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WARNING

This web-documentary contains content relating to pregnancy loss, childbirth and loss of life which some viewers may find upsetting.

ON OUR RADAR

First-person stories of healthcare in Sierra Leone

The Road To Recovery

When improving a health system, it is important to listen to the people in it. These are their stories, told to On Our Radar’s network of community reporters, and their ideas for making it stronger.

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When you get sick, where do you go?

Who do you turn to?

It might seem like a simple question but, for us in Sierra Leone, it isn’t.

We face many obstacles just to get the basic medical care we deserve.

Hospitals are few and far between and, in the countryside, transport is limited.

A long and winding journey awaits and, sometimes, things happen on the way that we can never expect.

For young Sundu, that meant giving birth under a coffee tree.

‘Nothing but her bare hands’

Malaria infects and kills thousands of us every year.

But doctors can do little to help unless we seek help quickly.

Time is always against us.

And sometimes, for little Ibrahim and so many others, it is just too late.

Round-the-clock but still out of time

You never forget the day you find out you are pregnant.

When you lose that child through no fault of your own, your world falls apart.

Luckily, Mariama was blessed with the gift that she always dreamed of.

‘I had to come home without my babies’

No person is an island.

But when you live on one, a simple paddle boat is the quickest way to get to the nearest clinic.

Our dedicated health workers do their best in tough circumstances.

But, as Aminata found out, difficulty lies beneath the choppy waters.

Under-staffed but not under water

When a loved one arrives at hospital...

...they should feel safe and looked after.

When that doesn’t happen, it stops you in your tracks.

And you start to question, as Nasiru did, whether people even care that you’re alive.

‘We need to have value for life’

No one should have to walk nine miles to get treatment.

No one.

Here, in the village of Kayako, we decided enough was enough.

So we built ourselves a lifeline, brick by brick.

The village that grew tired of suffering

Where do we go from here?

Rather than just point out the current challenges, On Our Radar has worked with communities across Sierra Leone, as well as healthcare professionals and other in-country partners, to come up with a People’s Healthcare Manifesto. The manifesto sets out the changes that Sierra Leoneans would like to see made to the healthcare system, with the overall aim to improve primary and tertiary care across the country.

You can read it and share it onwards here

GO TO MANIFESTO

Production: Eastina Taylor, Maellet Bundu, Abdul Brima, Chris Walter, Ben Whitelaw, Paul Myles
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Web design and illustration: Isacco Chiaf

On Our Radar is a specialist group of journalists, technologists, digital storytellers and development practitioners. We work together to surface stories from unheard groups worldwide. Those on the frontlines of humanity’s toughest challenges hold incredible insight. We amplify unheard voices so that they can shape the future.

Under the coffee tree- Sundu’s story
‍Director and editor: Mohamed S. Camara
Camera: Bankolay T. Turay
Producer: Habbie Kamara
Editing support: Maellet Bundu

Under-staffed but not under water
‍Camera and editor: Mohamed Dauda Kamara
Producer: Foday I. Bah
Director: Eastina Taylor

Mariama’s story
‍Director: Mohamed S. Camara
Producer and camera: Haja M. Bangoura, Bankolay T. Turay, Chris Walter
Editor: Mohamed Dauda Kamara

Nasiru’s story
‍Producer and editor: Eastina Taylor
Production support: Roseline Brima
Animation: May Kindred-Boothby
Sound design: Pete Naughton

The village who grew tired of suffering
‍Producer: Foday Yereh Samura
Camera: Haja Mariama Bangoura
Director and editor: Mohamed Dauda Kamara
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24 hours on a malaria ward
‍Producer and camera: Chris Walter
Producer and director: Paul Myles
Producer: Abdul Samba Brima
Editor: Brad Hayward
Reporting by Daniel Koroma and Santigie L. Bangura