The Impact of COVID-19 on Single Mothers in Sierra Leone

 Marilyn Kamara

Sierra Leone recorded its first case of COVID-19 on 31st March 2020. The pandemic has killed over 120 people with others still battling the disease. The disease has also caused a serious economic crisis which is having a toll on women across the country. The government, however, instituted measures to keep the virus at bay. Some of the measures include a ban on public gatherings, closure of places of worship, suspension of international flights, closure of borders, instituting curfew and lockdowns. The measures were to curtail the pandemic but life has never been easy for single mothers during this period.

Rugiatu Samura is a single mother of five and a petty trader at Congo market who lost her husband in 2019.  In an interview, she stated that since the outbreak, life has been very tough for her and her children.

"Since the death of my husband, it hasn't been easy for me. I don't receive support from anybody, and raising five kids alone is not a child's play. Now the outbreak of COVID-19 has worsened the situation as sales have reduced drastically", she explained.

Rugiatu added that before the outbreak of COVID-19, she used to sell up to a million Leones (about 1 hundred dollars) a day but now; she does not even sell Le 250,000 (25 dollars). She pointed out that she now runs at a loss, saying the fruits she sells perish because few buyers visit her table.

“Things are no longer the way they used to be. Even the quantity of products I sell has been reduced because of my lack of assured capital. I used to have bigger tables than these, and they were always occupied with a variety of products", she added.

Rugiatu is seriously worried about her children’s education because she says as things unfold it will be very difficult to afford their fees.

"My first child is in the university (Year 3), and the second one is taking the current WASSCE exams. I don't think I can afford to pay for two university students at the same time. All I can do however is pray and hope everything goes back to normal”. Rugiatu Said

Lydia is a member of the Sierra Leone Police Force. She is a mother of one. Lydia singlehandedly raised her; the father abandoned her when she was pregnant.

She said the COVID-19 situation has affected her a lot even though she works in the Police force. Apart from working as a police officer, she used to engage in small business ventures.  She normally goes to Conakry, Guinea, to buy goods and give them on a credit basis at her office. But when COVID-19 came, the Government instituted inter-district lockdowns; borders were closed and there were intermittent nationwide lockdowns which eventually stopped her from traveling to the neighboring country to get her goods. She ended up using the business money to take care of herself and her daughter.

"As you know, when you are taking from your money and you are not adding anything to it, it will surely finish", she said.

Lydia lamented that it hasn't been easy for her since she stopped doing the business, stating that her salary could barely take care of her child and herself. She said that she intends to take a loan so that she can start doing her business again. 

The single mother added that for now, she doesn't intend to have another child as taking care of this one is not easy; noting that she has gained admission to secondary school and the expenditure has increased, noting that the burden is too much to carry.

For many single mothers, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed the economic gains achieved since the end of Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war in 2002.

Haja Turay has a 5-year-old daughter. The father denied the pregnancy in its early stages.  She now sells 'Acheke' at Kingtom in Freetown. She said that since the outbreak of the coronavirus, she has not had the number of customers she use to have before the outbreak.

She further noted that before the disease outbreak, she would usually sell till midnight, but since the outbreak in the country, she has not been able to sell after 11 pm considering the curfew imposed by the government.

“I have reduced the quantity of food I prepare because of the nationwide curfew, I must also state that raising a child on your own is really not easy and raising a child as a single mother during this crucial time is even more challenging. This is really difficult,” Haja said.

Ibrahim Samura, Chairman of Child Network Sierra Leone, stated in an interview that "Single mothers in this part of the world suffer a lot especially when they have to take care of several children. I most times pity them because they have to go the extra mile to feed and educate their children.”

He mentioned that COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on single mothers. Pointing out that he knows of a single mother who sells bread and tea at night, but because of the curfew, she isn't making that much. Samura also said that things are skyrocketing every day, and single mothers find it difficult to cope as most of them earn very little and they can hardly put food on the table for their children.

As the pandemic continues to have its bite on single mothers, the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) introduced a Social Safety Net programme to help alleviate their situation. It has helped some but not enough to sustain their businesses throughout this period.

 This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Right (JHR) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Human Rights Fellowship.