By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Transport Manager at the Sierra Leone Transport Authority (SLRSA), Daniel Kaitibie has said road crashes are now becoming a virus in the country.
Kaitibie was speaking at the Life Skills Training Beneficiaries graduation ceremony organized by Handicap International under a project titled “Touching Minds, Raising Dignity” held in Freetown on 26th October 2023.
He stated they want to ensure that road accidents are reduced in the country, and bemoaned how driving over the years involved “more of informal training,” adding that it was marred with confusion, as drivers lacked knowledge on what to do on the roads. “We at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) one of our roles is to ensure that the roads are safe,” he said, adding that they train drivers.
“What Handicap International has given you, should change your mindset about driving,” he said. He encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the skills they have acquired in driving, noting that the first point of contact for investors is drivers, whose attitude portrays the image of the country. He noted that eighty percent of those drivers are from the informal sector, having not gone through training at a formal institution.
He said the theoretical aspect of driving is important, as drivers should know the rules of driving including the road signs
In his remarks, the Chairman for the graduation ceremony, Foday Mansaray said building manpower would move the country and spoke of the essence of having drivers.
He noted that giving grants to youths would not help them as compared to giving them skills. “We should avoid giving money to young people,” he emphasized, adding they should be told to acquire skills. “When you get skills, you can migrate without any hesitance, because anywhere you go, you can survive from the skills that you have,” he added.
Mansaray told the graduates that much is expected of them and that they use their skills to the benefit of passengers.
Speaking on mental health issues, he said “It is something that has to do with stress,” which can worsen if not managed in the beginning. He said mental health affects people of all ages.
Project Manager, Winifred Fakondoh said their intervention is centered on mental health operating in four countries; Sierra Leone, Togo, Madagascar, and Lebanon. “We are currently operating in four communities in Sierra Leone, Looking Town, Susan’s Bay, Kuntulloh, and Marbella,” she stated adding that they support the government’s agenda to improve mental wellbeing in the country.
She encouraged the graduates to use the skills gained to empower others, noting that Handicap International would not be in all the communities. “You that have got this knowledge, idea, and skills to be able to help your friends, so others in other communities will benefit,” she emphasized.
In his testimony as a beneficiary, Abdul Hakim Kamara said he was undergoing mental stress in 2001 when his house was burnt to the ground, losing expensive properties and documents.
“I had mental health issue and needed someone to help me,” he said, recounting how he became a recluse until he was picked up by two staff of Handicap International who taught him how to manage stress and later included in the Touching Minds, Raising Dignity (TMRD) project where he got to learn driving.
The TMRD project of Handicap International started in 2018. The project is designed for four years, with two phases, with Phase One running from 2018 to 2021. Due to the evaluation of the first phase, donor partners saw the need to extend the project to another four years -2022 to 2025.
The said project is funded by Agence Francaise De Development in France. It partners with the Community Association for Psychosocial Services (CAPS) and the Government of Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (27/10/23)
