For months , Faith and her family did not know whether her father was dead or alive . The anxiety of not knowing his whereabouts weighed heavily on them . News came from time to time . People said he was killed . Some witnessed her family ’ s houses ravaged and pillaged , rebels viciously beating her father and tying him to a tree to burn him alive . Trying to get news from relatives or friends at a time when civilians in Sierra Leone were in hiding or had flown to neighbouring countries as refugees was a challenge . The general conclusion was that he would not be seen again .
After months of anguish , news of his survival reached Faith ’ s family . Her father had been whisked to a hospital in Lungi , Sierra Leone by soldiers while he was in a comatose state . There he would stay hospitalized for several months , recovering from series of recurring heart attacks and severe wounds . He was kept in hiding as he was still a prime target of the rebels . He returned back to his home after the war ended but never recovered from the assaults . He died in 2004 , two years after the war officially ended in Sierra Leone .
Faith recounts , “ My father ’ s death was definitely untimely . He was only 63 years old when he died after a series of heart attacks and I believe he would have lived much longer if not for the war . He never bounced back to good health . I saw my dad during my first visit to Sierra Leone , after the war , and he was a shadow of the father I had last seen more than a decade ago . The ravages of war were so evident in his face and body . I knew the war had ‘ killed ’ my father even though he was still alive . I may not know what a physical amputation feels like but I remember the emotional amputation I experienced the day my father died . I have pledged to help victims of the war especially the amputees and their dependants and I endeavour to provide as much aid as possible to help them live meaningful lives .” Through this pledge Faith Okrafo-Smart founded the Melqosh Mission .
Empowering Lives to Beat the Odds
Sierra Leone has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and its human rights strategy includes safeguards for people with disabilities . However , it has not yet put what it has promised . In post conflict Sierra Leone , people with disabilities and amputations ( attributed to the methodical dismemberment of civilians during one of Africa ’ s bloodiest war , which resulted in thousands of innocents losing hands , arms , legs ) are more marginalized . Exclusion from services , community activities and productive opportunities increase the risk for people with disabilities and post conflict amputations . Consequently , they will continue to stay in poverty or fall into extreme poverty if intervention is not implemented , thereby creating a vicious cycle .
Melqosh Mission International ‘ s vision is to implement development strategies for education , health , trade and employment specifically for physically challenged and post war afflicted amputees in Sierra Leone . With access to these services , the beneficiaries will have coveted opportunities that we all deserve and a chance to articulate in productive activities , thereby becoming successful , not only for themselves but for the development of Sierra Leone .
Melqosh means “ latter rain ” in Hebrew . The seed of Melqosh Mission was conceived in November 2004 and its vision is to help girls and women who had their limbs forcibly and wickedly amputated by the rebels in the course of one of Africa ' s bloodiest civil wars in Sierra Leone . The ten-year war ended a decade ago but the consequences of these committed atrocities and barbarity are ever so present in the lives of plenty . The war may be over but the results of its destruction pervade the
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