Yvette Sia Kamanda of Sierra Leone visits with Jeanine Parker following a recent New Glasgow Rotary luncheon. Kamanda is a student of the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier and her studies have been sponsored by Rotary. She is waiting to return home to Sierra Leone to continue her developmental work, but can’t do so until the Ebola virus is brought under control. Sueann Musick – The News
A native of Sierra Leone, the mother and wife has been studying at the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier as a community project animator for the Network Movement for Justice and Development in Sierra Leone. She is earning her diploma in development leadership.
However, she said, the recent Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, which has now reached Sierra Leone, is preventing her and her mother from returning home.
“Ebola started in March in a neighbouring country and we started to question what it was, but we never took it seriously because we didn’t know anyone with Ebola,” she told New Glasgow Rotary Club members during a luncheon Thursday. Rotary sponsors members of the Coady Insitute, including Kamanda, to continue their studies.
However, she said, after she started hearing more and more about it, people started speaking about an outbreak in 1976 in East Africa and other countries.
She said Sierra Leone is a small country, but has a population of 6.5 million people so it is difficult not to know someone who has been affected by the virus.
As past president of the Rotary Club in Sierra Leone, Kamanda said she recently learned that one of its members has been affected by the virus.
Now, as of June, more than 1,200 people have died as a result of the outbreak. She said more needed to be done to communicate to people about the disease, how it is spread and what can be done to prevent it.
Kamanda said she is waiting for the day to come when she can return to Sierra Leone and share the things that she learned from Coady Institute.
She is a teacher by trade, but has seen much injustice in her own country. In particular she recalls one unforgettable memory, where she saw a woman die after being kicked by a man in authority. She said all the woman was doing was asking for money to support her family and instead of ignoring what she saw, Kamanda went to police as a witness and the man went to prison.
“I have a passion,” she said. “I have to call the police. Women are the most marginalized group in Sierra Leone so I decided to leave a teaching job and go into development work. I am learning about human rights issues. This has made an impact and they are demanding for their rights now for which I feel so proud.”
