By Lemuella Tarawallie
Thirty-two-year-old Ibrahim Sorie Bangura, a resident of Rokupr Chiefdom Makatic Community in Kambia District, is serving as an icon for the Community-Led Action Social Mobilizers for COVID-19 vaccine in Kambia District.
The UNICEF–GOAL Community Action project is being funded by USAID to help increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage in communities such as Kambai Town, Bamoi Munu and Kabasa Chiefdoms among others in Kambia District, northern Sierra Leone.
UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, started the vaccination process in February 2021 and it may run through 2024 and beyond depending on the COVID-19 situation.
In an interview at the Makatic Community Court Baray on Wednesday 25 January 2023, Ibrahim Sorie Bangura said though a visually impaired person, he believed in himself and his capacity as “disability is not an excuse for not being able to mobilize people”.
He stated that he was able to acquire the basics in mobilization through the training he had from UNICEF-Goal.
“As part of the social mobilization process, we had three days training from Gold on how to engage the community; on how to do community mapping and engagement; on how to be able to know how the Coronavirus is spread and how to prevent it and how to use a face mask”, he disclosed
Ibrahim Sorie Bangura noted that as a Community–Led Action Social Mobiliser, “one way to convince the people to take the COVID-19 vaccine is for you to take the lead. I have taken the lead within the community to take the vaccine and this act of mine has convinced my community people that the COVID-19 vaccine made available for them in Kambia District by UNICEF, USAID and the Government of Sierra Leone is real.”
He stated that, “Thanks to UNICEF, Gold Sierra Leone, because they were able to accept that this visually impaired man is able to do his job perfectly and my community people were able to accept me as part of the community because they know my input as a teacher in the community, they know what I’m able to do within my community, so my challenges are not too difficult as a visually impaired person”.
He added that as a Community–Led Action Social Mobiliser, he had been able to reach four communities in Kambia District which were: Makatic, Baaka Junction, Konbania and Conta Mango Communities. He disclosed that “80% of the community people where I am working as a Community–Led Social Mobiliser have taken the vaccine”.
Some of the challenges he highlighted as a visually impaired Community-Led Social Mobiliser were megaphone and speaker to spread the messages quickly to the community people; transportation to go to hard to reach communities, and
pairing. “I need someone who can read and write, and I have to go the extra mile to get someone and I pay that individual’s transportation fare from my own packet”, he disclosed.