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As POF's Sierra Leone Initiative begins, we are proud to announce the achievement of two important milestones: Serving our first African patient in Sierra Leone, and hiring our first prosthetist for POF's new Sierra Leone rehabilitation initiative.
  Sierra Leone was ravaged by a bloody civil war for a decade. Most of the country's infrastructure was destroyed, leaving little medical care and support. Entire villages were wiped out and tens of thousands of people were killed. Families were torn apart as some members were killed, while others live with the memories of bloodshed. Innocent children were maimed and injured during the bloody conflict. Abu Sesay was one such child.
Abu lived in a community near Freetown. When he was six months old, rebels attacked his village and forced his family to flee. Abu's father carried Abu on his back as they fled, but a bullet from a rebel gun shot through the chest of Abu's father and shattered Abu's leg beyond repair. Abu's father was killed and Abu had to have his leg amputated.
Abu's family fled to a refugee camp in Freetown, where they have lived for the last six years. Though Abu has had the loving support of his family, he is unable to participate in many daily activities with his family and friends.
In December of 2004, the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation was able to fit Abu with a prosthetic leg. Abu now has the freedom to walk, run and play with his peers. He is able to be a child again. He can also look to a complete future, full of opportunity. As his country re-establishes itself, he can help rebuild it through the use of both legs!
 Bambino Nabie Suma will be POF's first prosthetics professional hired for our new Sierra Leone rehabilitation initiative. Shown at left with Abu (see above), Suma started his training through the German Leprosy Relief Association (GLRA) in Makeni, Sierra Leone. The civil war brought his work in Makeni to a halt. Moving to the relative safety of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, along with thousands of others fleeing the advancing rebel armies, Suma was fortunate to find work as an orthopedic technician with World Health International. The experience expanded his horizons and qualified him for further studies through a scholarship at the Tanzanian Training Centre for Orthopaedic Technologists (TATCOT) in Moshi, Tanzania. After two years, Suma was certified as an International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) Category II Orthopaedic Technologist. POF is pleased to have a professional of Suma's caliber on our team.
Return to POF's Sierra Leone "Home Page".
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