Fatima Lovetta Sesay Live Story

22 year old Fatima Lovetta Sesay is a teenage mother currently with two daughters. “We were forced to flee to the capital city by the continuous fighting, killing, raping, burning of houses and cutting of hands and feet in our village and its surroundings.

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My father and uncle were elder brother who were our strong caregivers

My father and uncle were elder brother who were our strong caregivers killed right before our eyes with machetes by child soldiers when the rebels finally reached our village. The rebels asked her, the mother and her only surving sibling to carry their properties on our heads while they walked behind them with their guns. At some point, they were able to escape and headed directly to Freetown where at that time was safer. They reached Freetown and got registered as refugees. They were accommodated at the Grafton refugee camp in the Western Rural district. My mother being a single parent was faced with immense responsibilities to take care of us, coupled with her traumatic condition of the loss of her husband and his eldest son (our brother), she passed away in Freetown”, she said. Left as an orphan, she moved to stay with her aunt who was very supportive to her for some time before things changed, and they started facing difficulties especially financial wise. Things started well, but it all had a U-turn when her aunty fell very ill and couldn’t afford to pay her school fees anymore. She eventually dropped-out, became a petty trader to help her sick aunty to care for the family. The petty trading was not sustainable because, the entire family needs were dependant on it, to a point; they had nothing left to trade before the aunty died shortly after. In order for her to survive, she got involved in a love relationship with a man who eventually impregnated her. Cohabiting with the man, she got pregnant for the second time. The man abandoned her with no valid reason/s with the two kids. She went back to her aunt. Through this project, based on her vulnerability, she had the opportunity to make a choice of what she will like to become in the future, and was enrolled into a skill training centre were she’s acquiring skills in tailoring to become a seamstress. The intervention of WYCF and CoDWelA was timely especially in providing school fees, practical materials, psychosocial counselling.” Having provided schools fees and practical was a blessing for me to continue the programme with joyful heart and relief to me.”’ Its fuelled me to be more focused on the programme, she mentioned.” “The psychosocial counselling offered to us has helped me greatly to build our confidence back to be among people, talk, play and laugh about things. Hearing the stories of others have built my courage and strengthened my hope, that all is not lost yet” she said. “I can now take up responsibilities on my own with the money I earn through tailoring. Although, I’m yet to complete the programme, but I am proud of myself now and have gained a lot of respect because of my skills, she said with a big smile.