Alusine's Story: I was about to die…

"The night was so dark. I hurt all over from the sickness – my head, my stomach, my whole body. My mouth was so dry, but I couldn’t ask for a drink. Heaviness settled over me, pushing me down. I could hear my parents begin to wail, but it sounded like it was from a far-off distance. Why were they wailing?  Was I going to die? I didn’t want to die… 

Wait! There was a commotion. Someone was shushing my parents, telling them to gather some things. Then liquid, sweet and salty, spooned into my mouth. It kept coming, and I swallowed. Forcing my eyes open, l looked straight into the face of my neighbor, the one with the leg that didn’t work. Her eyes opened as if surprised, then she smiled at me. 

I closed my eyes, and the liquid kept coming. Through the long darkness of the night, it kept coming. I opened my eyes again to the signals of dawn in my village – birds chirping, a rooster crowing, smoke from cooking fires – and the hope-filled faces of my parents, with my neighbor right beside them.  

I am so grateful to Auntie Mary. I am sure that if she hadn’t showed up knowing what to do, I would have died that night. She is my hero."

Auntie Mary is one of the women we serve in Sierra Leone. She was able to save Alusine because of a lesson that she learned during our Transformation Training course. We shared Mary's incredible story last week. To read her incredible story, click here. 

Disclaimer: The header photo in this email does not feature Alusine. Alusine is pictured to the right with Auntie Mary.

Help equip more women like Auntie Mary to save lives and impact their communities by giving to Accessible Hope.