The people of Kormosilaiasure are a proud people who embrace the mottos of ‘unity’ and ‘one wod’, meaning togetherness, to heart.
Koromosilaiasure knows how to call a town meeting. As you enter, a large bell hangs to the right hand side of the Chief’s house. When a community meeting is requested, the ‘town crier’ rings the bell, loud and long. As the sound chimes out, the girls, boys, women and men of Koromasilaia come out to meet – because this cohesive community has its own system of taking local decisions. The people of Kormosilaiasure are a proud people who embrace the mottos of ‘unity’ and ‘one wod’, meaning togetherness, to heart. Unsatisfied with the methods of community engagement and the slow pace of change, they took matters into their own hands and started a Village Savings Loans (VSL) practice. Every member of the community, from the simplest farmers to the chiefs, put what money they can spare into a group pot, and the community spends it as it sees best. With the support of CARE International, the last few years has seen the people of Koromasilaia work together to make life better for themselves Such community solidarity has greatly improved the lives of mothers and babies in the community. As Mohamed Kamara the Vice Youth Chair of the village told us, “Everything comes back to finance…yes the delay for women and babies (getting healthcare) in emergencies is because of a lack of finance”. Mohamed’s point is reflected in the numbers. Since the introduction of the VSL, no mothers have died due to causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The community at Koromasilaia are a fierce team and in the middle of them is Jeneba Kabba - the Chairlady of the community VSL and a formidable female leader. The only woman amongst a group of senior men, Jeneba is powerful and impressive. And crucially, she forms the link between the Traditional Chiefs and the women’s groups in Koromasilaia.She spoke to us about the work the community organisers have been doing on health, including working together to support the building of a clinic in town. They have also been thinking innovatively about how to build the clinic’s potential. They have invited a midwife to work there – to encourage her to stay and commit to caring for their community, they provide accommodation for her and are growing a special garden of vegetables to feed the health workers. Jeneba tells us that they hope this could also help deal with some of the problems around the supply of nutritious food for expectant mothers in birth homes. Looking to the future, the people of Koromasilaia will continue to advocate and organise for improvements in their community. Next on the list is a fridge to store drugs and medical supplies, and lighting for the clinic. They are ready for development and are working with partners to prove that they can play their part in properly equipping the health centre. The spirit of the community is what is truly inspiring. A whole range of people volunteer at the health centre for free, working in all different roles from watchmen to cleaners. Jeneba and the Koromasilaian’s know that they can all play their part in making their village safer for mothers and babies by fostering a positive environment for the nurse so that she is motivated to stay with them. Koromasilaia is a great example of the power of Unity and One Wod.