By: Emmanuel Ballah
Bong County – Situated in central Liberia, the Suakoko Leprosy Rehabilitation Center has stood for more than 70 years. Since its establishment in the 1940s, the Suakoko Leprosy Rehabilitation Center has been more than a shelter and a promise of care, community, and humanity.
Now, its residents are asking the nation to remember that promise and keep it, as they feel abandoned.
The patients here are now raising their voices, calling on the Boakai-Koung administration to urgently prioritize their well-being and the future of the center.
According to Moses Momo, a resident of the colony, the government’s silence has left them feeling abandoned. “We are suffering and the government has forgotten about us,” Momo asserted.
Momo further raised a grave concern over the lepers’ alleged exclusion from Bong County administration’s programs for people with special needs. “Whenever there is a donation to people with disability, they always forget about us,” he said.
The lepers, on August 27, 2024 wrote a communication to Bong County Superintendent, Madam Loleyah Hawa Norris, urging her leadership to connect the colony with the central government for budgetary allotment and aid. In their communication, a copy of which is in this payer’s possession, the lepers decried their exclusion from people with disability since the demise of president.
In a country working to strengthen its democracy, these citizens say they feel excluded from the process — and are prepared to take a stand.
Speaking further, Mamie Kollie voiced her frustration over their alleged abandonment by the government; noting that they are unable to work due to disabilities caused by the disease. In a tearful tone, Mamie said “you see my hands; I am not able to work because of my condition. We are struggling to survive, even to find food it’s not easy.”
The lepers heaped praises on Kwatekeh Africa, a charity organization that is providing assistance for them.
Through its Country Director, Eric Hanson, the organization continues to provide a lifeline for the lepers.
Despite those efforts, daily life remains harsh, as access to consistent food, clean water, and health care is a constant struggle.
