War Victim Funds in big mess

The War Victims’ Funds, which President Koroma launched in October of 2009 to restore war victims’ health and dignity is currently embroiled in a mess, Sierra Express Media is made to understand. (Photo: suffering war victim, Salman Jalloh)

The War Victims’ Funds were recommended in Section 7 (6) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report of 2004 to meet their emerging needs. It was designed to benefit 30,000 war victims in all 149 chiefdoms in the country, including the Western Area.

According to the Outreach Department of the Office of National Commission for Social Action (NACSA) the War Victims’ Funds were meant to synchronize President Koroma’s Agenda for Change into giving a living assurance to war victims.

A concept note which established the trust fund for war victims and violation of their human rights has in it that the government should co-finance the project as well as donor partners. It also states that war victims should benefit from corporate entities and be given their benefits or service pension, micro-grants, skills training, free physical healthcare, psychosocial counseling, and educational support for school going children, symbolic reparation for community healing and shelter for the most vulnerable.

The Reparation Department of NACSA has so far failed to disclose how much money they have received since the trust was established in 2009. Sierra Express Media’s investigation team discovered that 70% of the 30,000 war victims the project should cover have still not accessed the said benefits which President Koroma had promised them during the launch of the War Victim’s Fund in October 2009.

Salman Jalloh having to suffer day after day with the seven bullets under his skin

Salman Jalloh, a war victim with seven bullets in his body since 1991 wonders whether they are going to ever profit from proceeds of the War Victims Funds. On number of occasion the ailing man has been denied medical attention at the Connaught Central Hospital.

The Medical Consultant hired under the War Victims’ Fund, Dr. T.B Kamara, said he has outstretched a deficit of Le 70 million on the treatment of war victims, which money he is yet to receive from NaCSA. As a result he said he is withholding his services until his deficit is cleared.

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