country and its victims and they need to be addressed. The other females are those who became disabled due to birth defects or illnesses such as polio, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and paralysis attributed to accidents and the like. These girls and women are looked upon as rejects of society; no future, no dreams or opportunities; just barely living under the hospices of family or relatives. In Sierra Leone, even the able-bodied woman finds it difficult to earn a living hence the high rate of prostitution. If life for the able-bodied woman is so bleak, imagine what life is like for the physically challenged. Melqosh quest is to teach and train post war afflicted amputee and physically challenged girls and women in the provinces and the most social-excluded parts of the Western Area( who have no education, training, social capital or opportunity). Because these women have had no education, Melqosh will provide elementary education with English( literacy) and mathematics( numeracy). Other subjects in line to be taught are computer studies, music, and literature. Vocational training will include sewing, knitting, garment dyeing and other arts and crafts. Life skills such as interpersonal skills, communication and negotiation skills, decision-making, critical thinking and self-management skills will be demonstrated.
The Struggle of War Afflicted Amputees
During a feasibility study trip in 2008, the Melqosh Mission discovered that many of the physically challenged women had young children. So they did not only have to contend with their disabilities, they also had dependents to take care of. Some had to use their hands to crawl as they do not have wheelchairs. Moreover, research undertaken in 2010 and in 2011 illustrates that although an amputee camp was facilitated specifically to provide artificial limbs, rehabilitate and educate amputees specifically, many of the victims did not receive the proposed rehabilitation and education’ therefore they do not have the ability to sustain themselves and countless amputees have become beggars as they continue the struggle of life.
Recent research undertaken in November 2012 has highlighted high mortality rates among the war afflicted amputees. 3 amputees died in the Grafton Amputee Camp in the space of 2 months. 5 other amputees died in 3 other camps, totaling 8 deaths in 3 camps in the last 7 months. All these deaths are attributed to severe poverty: poor nutrition and lack of access to medical care, especially for medical conditions resulting from the war.
The Melqosh research also unearth a social malaise; a crippling level of deprivation among the children of the living and deceased amputees. These dependents are severely disadvantaged because they do not have the opportunities to complete or further their
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