Department of Sociology and Social Work

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/173

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Ebola and Public Authority: Saving Loved Ones in Sierra Leone
(Taylor & Francis, 2019-05-20) Parker, Melissa
It is unclear how public authorities shaped responses to Ebola in Sierra Leone. Focusing on one village, we analyze what happened when "staff, stuff, space, and systems" were absent. Mutuality between neighbors, linked to secret societies, necessitated collective care for infected loved ones, irrespective of the risks. Practical learning was quick. Numbers recovering were reported to be higher among people treated in hidden locations, compared to those taken to Ebola Treatment Centres. Our findings challenge positive post-Ebola narratives about international aid and military deployment. A morally appropriate people's science emerged under the radar of external scrutiny, including that of a paramount chief.
Ebola, community engagement, and saving loved ones
(Elsevier BV, 2019-06-01) Parker, Melissa
Witchcraft Accusations and Women’s Empowerment in Makeni, Sierra Leone
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2023) Munu, Ibrahim
The article examines the impact of witchcraft accusations on women’s empowerment in the Makeni Township. The study employs a survey method, which includes the administration of questionnaires, focus group discussions, formal interviews, and reviewing related literature. Results indicate that older women are more prone to witchcraft accusations, and men who are often witch hunters mostly make these accusations. The paper also shows that older women are targeted mainly because of traditional or cultural conceptualizations, which direct witchcraft accusations to women only because that is how it is, poverty, and terminal illnesses. This study also shows that Witchcraft has a less positive impact on women and affects their chances of being empowered. Women accused of witchcraft practices suffer much inhuman treatment, including public ridicule, shaming and damning them, social exclusion, and sometimes, even death. However, the paper concludes that women’s accusation of witchcraft practices are linked firmly to their poor socioeconomic status, thus making it exemplary that witchcraft accusation is both a cause and effect of lack of empowerment for women.
Rice Marketing Survey Nexus on Selected Rice Markets in Bo and Freetown Cities
(2024) Kamanda, Philip Jimia
A market study was conducted to determine customer preferences in selected markets and the primary elements influencing the choice with the quality of rice which piqued considerable curiosity, given the state of the rice market. A cross-sectional research design was used where 80 marketers in two main market locations in Bo City and 120 in the Western area specifically Waterloo, Congo market, and Lumley markets. Fifty farmers in a parallel survey were also selected using the same approach in Tormabum, Bum Chiefdom in Bonthe District, to estimate their annual rice harvest in the study area. Data collection was carried out by 4 enumerators through separate on-site interviews using separate structured, pre-coded questionnaires from respondents. The data entry template was designed in the KoboCollect tool, cleaned, and exported into IBM SPSS version 21 and Microsoft Excel 2010 for analysis, and results are presented in tables. The key finding of the study shows that consumers preferred imported rice for its availability at all times. The study therefore recommended engagement with the diverse groups of farming actors to assess the impact of imported rice on local rice and understanding the structure of the rice value chain for increased local rice production and productivity.
Human-animal entanglements in bushmeat trading in Sierra Leone: An ethnographic assessment of a potential zoonotic interface
(Public Library of Science, 2024-03-28) Jenkins, Jack
'Bushmeat' markets are often portrayed as chaotic spaces where exotic wild animals are sold. They are hypothesized to be important sites for zoonotic disease transmission, given the prolonged and intense nature of the cross-species encounters that occur within them. Whilst such markets have received some attention from researchers, rich qualitative descriptions of everyday practices in these markets are rare. Depictions of wild animal markets as sites for potential viral amplification often rely on exoticizing assumptions and narratives rather than actual evidence, and in some cases are based more on ideology than on science. We provide an in-depth ethnographic account of two bushmeat markets in Bo, Sierra Leone. Our analysis goes beyond common assumptions that zoonotic risk is located solely in the knowledge and behaviours of traders. Our account sheds light on the modes of touch, closeness and contact that shape this hypothesised zoonotic interface, outlining the possible risks to different people who use and spend time in the market. We found that inadequate infrastructure and sanitation facilities created risks of zoonotic disease transmission for diverse actors including traders, customers, children, and the wider public. Butchering and trading practices frequently resulted in people directly and indirectly encountering animal fluids. We also discuss how public health management of these markets focused on individual behaviours rather than on improving conditions. Urgent sanitary reform and infrastructure upgrades in these sites that support the economic needs of traders could encourage voluntary compliance with biosafety measures amongst traders seeking to balance responsibilities to family and public health. Our study reveals the value of moving beyond exoticized narratives about bushmeat markets to yield situated insights for reducing risk at this interface.
Therapeutic Advancement in Treatment and Prevention of Nipah Viral Infection: A Review
(Sciencedomain International, 2024-04-29) Kallon, Mary K.
The Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that poses a major risk to global health, with a high mortality rate and the potential for wide outbreaks. NiV, which originated in fruit bats, has shown a concerning potential to infect humans and cause serious respiratory and neurological disorders. The virus has a pleomorphic structure and a broad host range, preventing efforts to understand and regulate its pathogenesis. This review discusses current advances in the prevention and management of NiV, including the efficacy of several antiviral therapies in vitro and in vivo. Treatments such as Ribavirin, Favipiravir, Acyclovir, Remdesivir, and Balapiravir have produced varying results, whilst monoclonal antibodies such as m102.4, h5B3.1, and nAH1.3 provide effective neutralization but require additional testing in humans. In addition, innovative vaccination techniques such as recombinant measles virus, subunit vaccines, vector vaccines, and the novel mRNA-1215 vaccine have shown success in preclinical and early clinical trials. To reduce the risk of human transmission, preventive measures include early outbreak detection through improved surveillance systems, exposure-based screening, and educational activities. This covers vital guidelines like avoiding raw date palm sap during outbreak seasons and using physical barriers to prevent bat-to-human transmission, which is vital for controlling this deadly virus.
The Socio Economic Impact of Cultural Heretage on Sierra Leone: Acase of Brookfield , Freetown
(Global Society of Scientific Research and Researchers, 2024-06-17) Manju, Fassie
Sierra Leone is arguably a country with massive and amiable cultural heritage assets which have greater bearing on the social and economic trajectory of the country. This heritage can be evident in terms of the country’s tangible culture such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, works of art, and artifacts, et al, intangible culture such as folklore, language, knowledge, and natural heritage including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity. Sierra Leone’s cultural heritage is a diverse blend influenced by the topography of the country and large amount of different ethnic groups inhibiting the country. The country and the people are well known for their friendliness and hospitality, with a relaxed pace on life. This Country’s cultural heritage makes it common to be entertained in hotels or restaurants, particularly business visitors.This study employed a cross sectional design with mixed methods of research approach involving questionnaire, and interviews. A purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of the respondents. A sample of eighty (80) respondents was selected purposively in the study areas. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to solicit primary data from targeted population. The data generated were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and results were presented in tables, frequency, graphs and charts. The following were the main findings of the research:Moreover, this study also concluded that there are a range of factors that hinder cultural heritage and this study concludes that lack of human capital on specialized preservation techniques is a major factor that hinders cultural heritage in Sierra Leone and that this can result into devaluation of country’s culture, decreased employment in cultural heritage sector, and most importantly, undergrowth of government’s foreign earnings.Findings in this study also indicated that stakeholders played diverse roles in promoting cultural heritage and such roles could be policy development role, protection and preservation role, funding role and most importantly, education role. This study concluded by providing recommendations for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. The study recommends that government should build the human capital base on specialized preservation and conservation techniques; cultural heritage studies, archaeological, anthropology and museum education should be taught across all universities; strengthen partnership across the board to sustainably develop the heritage sector; vigorous educational campaign on the promotion of culture and to strengthen the regulatory framework to preserve cultural heritage. The study will help Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government to have a clear understanding on the potential of Cultural Heritage to national development thereby -making government to pay more attention to the sector as an essential tool for massive revenue generation. It will also help government to have essential understandings on the factors that undermine the potential of cultural heritage to the socioeconomic development of Sierra Leone.
Witchcraft Accusations and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural Communities in Sierra Leone
(BP International, 2024-07-25) Munu, Ibrahim
The article examines the impact of witchcraft accusations on women's empowerment in rural areas of Sierra Leone, with Makeni Township being a case study. Witchcraft accusations, once a shared burden for both men and women, have increasingly targeted women and children in recent times. This alarming trend calls for a deeper understanding and heightened concern. The study employs a survey method, which includes the administration of questionnaires, focus group discussions, formal interviews, and reviewing related literature. Witches are known to hold meetings at night, and in these meetings, they wear nothing except masks, sit around corpses, and sometimes have intercourse with dead women. Results indicate that older women are more prone to witchcraft accusations, and men who are often witch hunters mostly make these accusations. The paper also shows that older women are targeted mainly because of traditional or cultural conceptualizations, which direct witchcraft accusations to women only because that is how it is, poverty, and terminal illnesses. This study also shows that Witchcraft has a less positive impact on women and affects their chances of being empowered. Women who are accused of practicing witchcraft endure a great deal of cruel treatment, which includes social marginalization, public mockery, public shaming, and condemnation, and occasionally even death. It is noteworthy that charges of witchcraft are both a cause and an effect of the lack of economic empowerment for women in this region of the world, as the paper concludes that women's accusations of witchcraft practices are closely associated with their low socioeconomic standing. This underscores the urgent need for gender equality and eliminating such harmful practices. The paper proposes several solutions to address this issue, including community education and awareness campaigns, legal reforms to protect the rights of accused women, and economic empowerment programs for women in rural areas.
The Impacts of Community Radio Stations on National Development; a Case Study of Bo City
(Global Society of Scientific Research and Researchers, 2024-09-05) Manju, Fassie
This study examined the Impacts of Community Radio Stations on National Development, using Bo city as a case study. Findings were generated in line with the general aim which is to investigate the impacts of community radio stations on national development, as well as the following specific objectives: Conceptualization of community radio stations as tool for national development Functions of community radio stations on development policies Influence of community radio stations on public opinions and information dissemination Roles played by community radio stations during COVID-19 pandemic Recommendations on how to mitigate the problems associated with community radio stations The findings affirmed that majority were aware of the concept of community radio stations, and they believed that the stations performed functions such as informing, educating and entertaining the public. Additionally, majority of the respondents were of the view that community radio stations affect public opinions greatly, by influencing their political decisions and their choices towards certain products through advertisement. Thus, it was also revealed that community radio stations played key roles in fighting COV ID-19 pandemic, by reporting or updating the public about COVID-19 cases, providing the opportunity for medical practitioners to discuss issues around the pandemic, and showing pictures and graphics relating to the preventive measures of the pandemic respectively. It was also recommended that the government and other stakeholders should support community radio stations with adequate resources in order to enable them function effectively.The main purpose of community radio is to provide marginalized communities with access to a voice through the broadcasting channel of radio so they can express their concerns, interests and needs, promote and protect their cultures, traditions and heritages and determine their own development. For a community radio station to serve its purpose, members of a community need to be allowed access to participate in the day-to- day activities of a community radio station and have access to relevant information to better their circumstances. In order to obtain access to these resources, certain operational frameworks must be established and maintained.
CHALLENGES FACED BY LOCAL COUNCILS IN REVENUE COLLECTION IN SIERRA LEONE. (CASE STUDY- FREETOWN CITY COUNCIL)
(2025) DUMBUYA, ABDULAI B.
Globally, revenue collection plays a crucial role in the growth and development of city councils and the economy at large. In a low-income country like Sierra Leone, city councils' role is critical in further pushing the country's socio-economic development agenda. This paper explored the challenges local councils face in revenue collection in Sierra Leone. This study employed a case study survey design with a mixed method approach to collecting relevant data. Stratified, purposive, and simple random sampling techniques were used to reach out to the 50 respondents from the revenue department of the Freetown City Council. Data was collected through questionnaires and a face-to-face interview, and processed using Microsoft Excel application.
Characterization of Smallholder Farming in Kori Chiefdom, Southern Region of Sierra Leone
(Islamic Azad University Press, 2025) Sam, Belden
The study assessed the characteristics of smallholder farming by smallholder farmers in Kori Chiefdom, Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone . The study employed a descriptive survey research design. An interview schedule was used to obtain primary data from 154 smallholder farmers who were involved in agricultural projects in the chiefdom. The quantitative nature of the data was analysed with the help of the SPSS statistical software package. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages as well as inferential statistics involving regressing analysis were used to determine relationships between farming income and other income variables. Major findings from the demographic characteristics of the smallholder farmers show that more than half of the respondents are within the youthful population ( < 20 years=7.8%, 21-30 years=41%, and 31-40 years=19.48%) totaling 62.33% with male respondents accounting for 57.14%. While a significant percentage (44.16%) had no formal education, 32.46% also had only primary education. The study further shows that only 11.69% earned more than NLe 500 per month from the project. The stepwise regression also shows a relationship that farming and monthly incomes are R 2 =0.278; p=0.05 which implies that monthly income accounts for 27.78% of the respondents. The findings therefore suggest that literacy drive must be promoted among the respondents for the easy adoption of improved agricultural practices. Moreover, agri-business techniques must be promoted for farmers to handsomely earn from their farming activities.
Unmasking the Silent Pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A Comprehensive Review
(Sciencedomain International, 2025-07-23) Mami, Daniel M.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global health concern, sometimes called the "silent pandemic" since it slowly but surely harms public health, clinical outcomes, and economic stability. The inappropriate use of antibiotics in medicine, farming, and animal husbandry, along with a lack of good regulatory monitoring and pollution of the environment, has sped up the evolution and spread of microbes that are resistant to them. This review looks at the many factors that contribute to AMR, including its molecular processes, environmental causes, clinical burden, and global spread. Increased resistance to normal treatments has made bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, MRSA, and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis more common, which has led to higher rates of illness, death, and healthcare expenses. We did a thorough analysis of the literature using peer-reviewed sources to look at recent data on trends in resistance, important resistance genes, and how well current tactics to reduce resistance work. The results show that there are big holes in AMR surveillance, diagnostic tools, and the antibiotic research pipeline. Resistance genes are also common in natural environments, which makes containment even harder. Antimicrobial stewardship initiatives and global action plans have made some headway, but to really deal with the way AMR affects people, animals, and the environment, we need a united, One Health strategy. The assessment ends by stressing the importance of coordinated action around the world, new treatments, quick tests, and strong policy frameworks. AMR poses a significant threat to the sustainability of modern medical practices and infection control if left unaddressed and bring about a post-antibiotic future in which even small illnesses could become deadly if nothing is done right away.
Available Resources and Factors Influencing the Adoption of Modern Rice Technologies among Farmers in Kambia District, Sierra Leone
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2026) Munu, Ibrahim
This study examined the factors influencing the adoption of modern rice technologies among farmers in Kambia District. A cross-sectional survey design was employed using primary data collected from 312 rice farmers selected across three chiefdoms in four communities in Kambia District. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, chi-square tests, Kendall’s W ranking, and post-hoc analysis to identify the major drivers and constraints influencing technology adoption. The findings revealed that rice farming in the district is predominantly undertaken by experienced smallholder farmers within economically active age groups, with 93.6% relying on rice farming as their major source of household income. However, low levels of formal education remain widespread, as 35.6% of respondents had no formal education. Although improved rice varieties such as ROK 10 and NERICA are increasingly cultivated, many farmers still depend on traditional varieties due to limited access to improved inputs and financial services. The logistic regression model showed strong explanatory power (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.531; p χ2 = 12.12, p = 0.436), whereas access to improved rice seed varieties was strongly associated with household income source (χ2 = 36.49, p < 0.0001). Post-hoc analysis further showed significant disparities in seed access, particularly among farmers engaged in non-farm activities and rice farming, suggesting systemic inequalities in input distribution. The study concludes that adoption of modern rice technologies in Kambia District is influenced by a complex interaction of economic, institutional, social, and resource-related factors. The study recommends strengthening extension services, improving rural credit, subsidizing inputs, expanding farmer training, and enhancing irrigation and mechanization infrastructure to promote adoption and improve rice productivity and food security.