“Chatting with Charles" from Healey IRF
On October 1st, our group was lucky enough to be able to meet via Zoom with Charles, who works for the Healey International Relief Foundation, and who is currently living and working in Sierra Leone! We conducted a Q&A with Charles in order to learn more about what his role is working with Healey.
Before our meeting, Vicki, who is our point of contact with whom we are working directly with at Healey, told us a little about Charles. She said, “Charles was born in Sierra Leone but he has traveled to the U.S. He is very active on social media and is very much looking forward to this project. He works for HealeyIRF, but also works for Caritas-Freetown. He also runs a fundraising effort called The Sick Pikin Project. They raise money to help pay for surgeries for young children. These are surgeries that they can’t get in Sierra Leone.”
Q: What do you do for Healey and how long have you been working for them?
A: I have been working with Healey since 2012, so about 8 years. I am currently the program manager for our in-country projects. I coordinate the programs Healey runs for donations of medical supplies and food.
Q: How did you get involved with Healey?
A: I got involved with Healey because I always knew I wanted to help people. I was a former child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Having seen how people can be ruthless and characterized by unimaginable evil, I wanted to help humanity. My original plan was to be a doctor, but I ended up on a different path. I studied peace and conflict at The University of Sierra Leone. I started working for an organization Caritas-Freetown 17 years ago, and now I also work with Healey.
Q:What are the clinics like in Sierra Leone?
A: People do not have access to basic medical care. There are only 205 doctors for a country of 7 million people. There is an unequal ratio of doctors to patients. Doctors can’t spend a lot of time with patients since there are so many, which limits the quality of service. We have also lost 6 doctors and many medics because of COVID-19. We always need doctors in Sierra Leone.
Q: What is a specific problem that doctors face?
A: They do not have access to basic medical supplies. Even gloves are a problem. If there were three doctors, normally there would be 6 pairs of gloves. Since they do not have enough gloves, everyone has to wear one pair of gloves.
Q:How can people help the Healey Foundation?
A: People can become ambassadors for Healey. Reach out to family, friends, and community members to tell them about Healey. Talk to them about what we do and why we do it. This cultivates and gets interest in our foundation. Also, try to donate to support the work we’re doing and link us up with any connections.
Our Zoom meeting with Charles who was able to chat with us from Sierra Leone.
Having the opportunity to talk with Charles, despite some of the technical difficulties, we were able to get a better understanding of Healey: who they are and what they do. It was awesome to speak with someone who is physically there and who gets to see the everyday life of those living in Sierra Leone. His courage, his kindness, and his dedication to Healey and helping others is very admirable. Hopefully, in the near future, we get to have another meeting with Charles and some of Healey’s photographers so we can request certain content for us to post on their social media platforms.
