Aminata’s story

Aminata is an Ebola survivor who experienced trauma and depression in the aftermath of the West African Ebola epidemic. She now runs a roadside stall with her mother in Romene village. Both her and her mother are members of a self-help group. When Conforti first encountered Aminata, she would barely speak due to the impact of her trauma. After counselling and then the support of her Self-Help Group (SHG), she now actively runs the stall with her mother. Her mother travels monthly to a wholesale market to purchase items for their stall, during which time Aminata runs the stall herself. Their livelihood has enabled Aminata to pay for all three of her children to attend school, however business is getting more challenging due to Sierra Leone’s economic crisis – each time she or her mother goes to restock, they find prices have gone up. They have to absorb some of the price increases in order to keep their customers, as people in the village are really struggling with the cost of living themselves. She says that the vegetable gardens that N4A and Conforti have supported her SHG with are helping alleviate this somewhat, as they now have their own supply of food.