On day 10, there were multiple protests (similar to those on Monday but on a larger scale) that were occurring in the city of Makeni. Due to its close proximity, it was decided best for all teams to stay at the hotel. We spent the day transcribing the multitude of interviews that we had gathered […]

Monday, day 8, was a very mellow day for all of GSIF. There were rumors of demonstrations and protests of the working class who had not been paid in months. Doctors, teachers, and other lower government workers were closing their businesses and going to the streets to display their very valid concerns. To stay safe, […]

Professor Cheng joined us in Sierra Leone today! She landed early this morning with a few other advisors and students from other teams. Thankfully, everyone’s luggage arrived safe and sound. The whole team started the day at World Hope and then went to three clinics to continue interviewing. Our first clinic visit was to Masomgbo […]

We spent the morning at Gladys Karoma CHP observing antenatal care and vaccine day. First, we were invited to the examination room, where we watched the nurses listen for the baby’s heartbeat and kicking. They also felt around the stomach to ensure that the baby was positioned correctly and asked the woman for any complaints. […]

Our first stop today was to speak with the Vice Chancellor of The University of Makeni, Joseph Saidu Sesay. He sat down with us for a conversation in which he detailed his life’s story. From a young age, he wanted to be a medical doctor in order to help the people of Sierra Leone so […]

This morning, Alice, Katie, and Lauryn went to Freetown to meet with Hidden Voices, a magazine that posts quarterly to advocate for silenced groups. All of their proceeds go to helping others. Some of their sections include features, opinions, game changers, and women empowerment. The women empowerment section usually covers widows and teen mothers’ stories. […]

We began our day at the World Hope office, excited after receiving the news that our social IRB had been approved for fieldwork. Shortly after arrival, we headed out to 3 clinics, one of which was in a rural town about an hour from WHI. At the Tambiama Community Health Unit (CHU) we were introduced […]

Four members of the team went to three pharmacies today to interview them about their experience with sickle cell disease. Even when we introduced ourselves and informed them that we were partners with World Hope, the pharmacists were still hesitant to answer our questions. The first pharmacist said he didn’t speak English but we were […]

We started our day by traveling to World Hope International’s headquarters to meet Hassan who works with the organization and has several contacts with health units in the area. He will be a great asset to our team because, to gather information on sickle cell diagnosis and treatment, we need to interview numerous health professionals […]

After a long 3-year pause due to Covid-19, we finally have the opportunity to travel back to Sierra Leone. We are very excited to be in Makeni for the next 3 weeks, working to gain more knowledge about the treatment and diagnostic programs, the prevalence of sickle cell anemia, and receive feedback on our device. […]