Early Childhood Development

Raising a child in rural Sierra Leone, where access to basic services is limited, can be a challenge. If this is true, then what can we say about raising twins? Mary, 23, is a proud mother of twins; Gina and Sao (local Mende names for twin boys). Mary dropped out of school when she realized that she was pregnant. “I missed schooling, but my children are also very important to me. Abortion was not an option for me, so I dropped out of school,” she says.
“In my community, we don’t have access to ultrasounds. I didn’t know I was carrying twins until the day I delivered,” Mary recalls. “It was a surprise, but I embraced it.”
At just four months old, both twins fell ill with typhoid and malaria. This was a frightening time for Mary. “I didn’t fully understand what was happening. I was breastfeeding them, but also feeding them other local foods and giving them lots of water,” she says.
She rushed the babies to the Shebwema Community Health Centre (CHC), where they were admitted for treatment.
Typhoid is often spread through contaminated food and water. Exclusively breastfed babies typically have some protection thanks to their mother’s milk. But like many young mothers in rural areas, Mary was not fully aware of optimal infant feeding practices.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and continued breastfeeding alongside complementary feeding up to 2 years or beyond.

Learning to nourish children using locally available foods

Fortunately, Mary attended a ChildFund-supported parenting session on breastfeeding and weaning diets. “That training changed the way I looked at things,” she says.
Led by Nurse Massah at the local CHC, the training taught caregivers how to provide better nutrition for their babies. “ChildFund has been very supportive,” says Nurse Massah. “We’ve seen improvements in children’s weight and health thanks to these training sessions.”

During the training, Mary also learned to prepare Bennimix, a nutritious baby food made from local ingredients: sesame seeds, pigeon peas, rice, and a small amount of sugar. Free from preservatives and chemicals, Bennimix is processed by women in rural communities and has supported infant nutrition in Sierra Leone for over 30 years.
Mary started feeding her babies Bennimix when they turned six months old. “Now they’re eight months, and they’re growing strong,” she smiles.
Mary’s mother, Tajo, plays an important role in helping care for the twins. But even Tajo admits she’s learning new things.

Mary is determined to return to school once her twins turn one. “I want to set an example for them. I want them to know that education is the key to success and nothing should hold them back,” she says.
Thanks to the parenting support and nutrition training provided by ChildFund, Mary feels better equipped to give her twins a healthy start in life. In the past year alone, over 740 mothers in Sierra Leone have participated in these nutrition trainings by ChildFund.

In Mary’s community, ChildFund is more than just a sponsorship organization. We support children and families through a range of programs in health, education, early childhood development, family economic empowerment, food security, child protection, WASH, advocacy, and emergency response.
Through one of our health initiatives, Gina and Sao received their first mosquito nets, protecting them from malaria as they sleep.

Mary’s story is a reminder that when communities are empowered with knowledge and resources, children thrive. As the African proverb says: It takes a village to raise a child. And ChildFund is proud to be part of that village.