2004 Press Releases

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT REBUILDS THE KAILAHUN GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL

February 6, 2004

U.S. Embassy, Freetown,
Contact: PAO Kevin Green
Tel: 226481

February 5, 2004 was a day of exceptional promise for the people of Kailahun in Sierra Leone. The United States Ambassador Peter R. Chaveas on that day handed over the newly rehabilitated Kailahun Government Hospital to H.E. President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The U.S. Government, through USAID, funded the hospital’s rehabilitation and the U.S Departments of Defense and State provided supplies and equipment for the hospital.

The main portion of the hospital complex has been around for many years but it was raided, looted and destroyed during the war and became the headquarters of the rebels for a number of years. When Kailahun was secured by UNAMSIL, the Pakistani troops cleaned and took care of part of the hospital, using it as a Mosque, before it was handed over to the community last year, for rehabilitation and construction work to begin.

The U.S. Government spent over $500,000 USD to rehabilitate the Kailahun Government Hospital, providing all of the funds needed for the work to its implementing partner, the International Medical Corps (IMC). Working through the IMC, the U.S. Government restored the war-damaged hospital by rehabilitating the maternity ward, kitchen, medical store and morgue blocks and by erecting a new children’s ward, a laboratory and doctors and nurses quarters. A new water system was also designed for the hospital’s use. The new hospital, built and partially equipped with U.S. resources, is completed and ready to provide health care services to the Kailahun people.

Delivering his remarks during the ceremony, Ambassador Chaveas spoke as follows:

“It is a great pleasure to be in the Eastern Province once again and in particular to be in Kailahun to see this area that suffered so much coming back to normal life. It was only a short while ago that I had the honor of being here to participate in the dedication of the Kailahun Secondary School and to help launch the new district community radio station. As was the case with those two projects, I am very proud that the American people through USAID, the Department of Defense and the Department of State have been in a position to contribute to the rebuilding and reequipping of this hospital. It is one of a number of activities in Kailahun that are receiving support from the American Mission in Sierra Leone. We have made and will continue to make Kailahun District, along with Kono and Koinadugu, special focuses of our assistance effort. There are genuine needs throughout this country but our resources are limited and we are convinced that this geographic focus assures that those limited resources will be used where they will have the greatest impact on the greatest need. A new chapter in our assistance activities in Kailahun will open in the near future as we will focus more intensely on economic stimulation with particular attention to the vast agricultural potential of this region and its possibilities for providing employment for many of your young people.

“Many people and organizations are due thanks for their contributions to the successful completion of this project. With apologies to many, I would like to single out two. First, our implementing partner IMC. As is the case with so many of our activities throughout the country, we simply could not deliver without the excellent work of NGOs like IMC, CARE, IRC, World Vision, Committee for the Victims of Torture, Talking Drum Studio, MSI and ACF. We salute your competence and your dedication. Second, as has so often been the case, we are indebted to the officers and men of the Pakistani contingent of UNAMSIL. Your service in the cause of peace in Sierra Leone has been exceptional and we are among its many beneficiaries.

“When I was last in Kailahun, I made some public remarks that became a bit twisted in their translation to the press in Freetown. Always wanting to give them a second chance, I would like to take this opportunity to repeat the essentials of what I said then. I have already mentioned the invaluable service that has been rendered to this country by the Pakistani contingent. Much credit is due to all the militaries that have contributed to UNAMSIL. I think we all recognize that the peace we all cherish simply would not be without the contribution made by UNAMSIL. But all good things must come to an end and over the course of this year UNAMSIL will withdraw and turn over the responsibility for this country’s security to its rightful custodians, the Government of Sierra Leone and its military and police forces.  I want to congratulate those forces, the IMATT and the Commonwealth Advisory Team for all that has been accomplished to prepare for this eventful transition. I fully trust that the Government will put UNAMSIL’s remaining time to optimum use.

“UNAMSIL will leave but that does not mean that the international community is going. I can only speak for one member of the international community but I think I reflect the views of many when I say that we recognize the magnitude of the investment that has been made in peace in Sierra Leone and we recognize that the job is not yet done. We are committed to assuring a good return on our investment. But we cannot succeed absent the commitment of the people, all the people, of Sierra Leone. The poverty that is the lot of so many in this country is made all the more tragic because there is no good reason for it to be so.

“Most of the people of Sierra Leone live in poverty and yet Sierra Leone is not a poor country. This is a country endowed with great natural and human resources but far too often those resources have been wasted and regrettably, that waste continues. Often this waste can be ascribed to mismanagement and corruption in government but it is too easy to place all of the blame on government. Much of the waste takes place in local communities. One example is very close at hand. Next to the hospital we are dedicating today is a Children’s Park built only in 2002. Rather than serving the children of the community, it lies in shambles because the local community would not show the initiative to maintain it.

“There is another example of waste all around us that can only be addressed by local leaders and local communities. That is the waste of the talents and potential of your women and girls, more than 50% of your population. When you fail to give them the opportunity to receive a good education, when you force them to marry too young and to bear children before their bodies are ready, you are wasting one of your richest resources. There are many things that we don’t know about how countries develop successfully but there is one thing we do know - that those countries that educate their women and girls have a much higher rate of success.

“I emphasize this issue of waste not just because my government feels strongly about the rights of women and corruption. We do. But I do it to underline the fact that the commitment of donors is not unconditional or permanent. We will not always be here and how long we stay will be conditioned by how committed the people of Sierra Leone show themselves to be in using their own resources, their own talents, and their own initiative to resolve their own problems. Continued waste will not attract more assistance from donors. It will drive us away. 

“Obviously, we are in Kailahun today because we believe that you are committed to ending the waste. Please prove us right and a good place to start is by assuring that this hospital is maintained, that its staff is both supported and held to high standards and that years from now this day is looked upon as a new starting point for a much healthier and more prosperous Kailahun.”