VOX POP

VOX POP

Voices of Affected Kono Communities

The blasting affects our normal school work and also our school buildings; now there are cracks all over the place. School work is always brought to abrupt halts whenever blasting is in progress. Or schools are moved from their traditional sites as long as the blasting lasts. Before now, the company would notify the schools about the blasting time through letters and the local radio station. But this is no longer the case; they now take us unawares. We have not heard any discussions with the company with regards relocating the schools, and now the rains are just around the corner.
- Mrs. Betty Bassie
Senior Teacher United Methodist Church Girls School, Koidu

We really want to ask government to tell us whether they've sent Branch Energy to Kono to disrupt our learning, destroy our schools and houses and incapacitate our parents. We also want to ask Branch Energy to tell us about what development plans they have for us in Kono because we have still not seen anything they have built or constructed since they came. It's just destruction all the way.
- Gladys Gbonda
Class 6 UMC Girls School

On Friday last week, a heavy stone fell just by me. I got shocked and collapsed. When Mr Sorbi, the Community Relocation Officer came, all he was interested in knowing was whether the stone hit me directly. In the end, he only gave me one litre of water that was not even cold. And that was the end of it; no treatment. I am still getting frequent shocks and have to drink peak milk every day. It is my relatives that are taking care of me. NDMC had worked in Kono for many years, but it was not like this.
- Mariama Conteh
(A nursing mother who became a victim when her baby was just one day old from Sokogbe community)

We are in the middle of a dilemma; we have not been relocated, we cannot put up new structures and we cannot plant anything in our backyards. How do these people expect us to live and take care of our families? There is a piece of bush in Sokogbe community that has some tree crops and fertile land. People used to fetch fuel wood and make vegetable gardens there, but now we cannot access it. The place where they want to relocate us is small with no land for gardening or recreation. How can they build houses/relocate people without consulting them or involving them at least in any of the activities? This is absolutely not right.
- Sahr Fea Sarquee
Sokogbe Affected Property Owners Association

Thus we feel our rights are been abrogated by the Koidu Holdings SA by its failure to implement the dictates of the Kimberlite Agreement and the report of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and utter silence of government over our sad state of affairs as residents of the lease concession affected by activities of the Koidu Holdings.
- Preamble to the Constitution of The Affected Property Owners Association.

It is apparent that whatever we say or do, Branch Energy is not going to say or do anything good for us. It is either because they enjoy the total patronage and support of government for all what they are doing, or they are just damn insensitive to our plight.
- Sia Gborie
UMC Girls School

Sometimes I am caught up in the middle of preparing food for my children, then we are asked to leave, which makes my children to go for hours without food.
- Memuna Boya (Mrs)
Sarquee Town