Saving Lives from Snake Bites
Published Tue, Jul 30, 2024
Written by Dana Kaltenberger
In Sierra Leone, the estimated number of snake bites ranges from 48 to 6724 cases per year. The estimated number of deaths due to snake bites can range from 2 to 470 per year. Sadly, stories of EduNations’ students dying from a snake bite has become an annual tragedy. Until now.
EduNations has been privileged to partner with Caring Hands Anti-Venom Health Services which provides free treatment to snake bite victims. In addition to the anti-venom services, Caring Hands also operates a medical lab and a pharmacy. In her most recent visit to Sierra Leone, Dr. Jana Marshall connected Caring Hands with EduNations.
Very recently, 2 students, Isha Kargbo (pictured left with Mariama Jabbie, EduNations Social Worker) and Isatu Bangura (pictured right with Kadie Conteh, EduNations Social Worker) received treatment from Caring Hands for a lethal snake bites.
Isha Kargbo lives two miles away from Mapainda village. Isha is 14 years old and she is attending 7th grade at EduNations Hope Academy Junior Secondary School. Her favorite subjects are English and Social Studies.
Isha is the first of five girls in her blended family, and they are very poor. After the death of Isha’s father, her mother married a man by the name of Mr. Bangura. Isha is from a Christian background as her late father was a Christian. She attends the village community church.
One Thursday evening after school, she went to the stream to launder her school uniform and to take her bath.
One their way to the stream with her younger sister, Isha accidentally stepped on a snake that was hiding underneath a bush. Within the same moment, she was bitten by the snake on her right leg.
The next day she was unable to go to school, and one of our teachers by the name of Mr. Samuel Conteh decided to check up on her to see why she was not in school. To his surprise, he found out that she had been bitten by a snake. Taking immediate action, Mr. Conteh took a photo of her leg and reported the issue. She was promptly taken to the Caring Hands hospital for proper treatment and admitted for four days.
We thank God for the life of Isha Kargbo as she is much better now and has started attending school again.
“I want to say thank you to the donors and sponsors of EduNations for the love and support that was given to me when I was sick due to a snake bite. I also want to thank my Aunty Mariama for standing by me and praying for me. Thank you, EduNations God bless you.” - Isha Kargbo.
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God has used EduNations’ partnership with Caring Hands to bless other children outside of our program as well. Isatu Bangura is from the village of Royema, which is near Rokassa. Isatu is 14 years old and attending the Royema Community School while living with both of her parents. She is not an EduNations student. Isatu Bangura was asked by her mother to help her aunty out with the house chores in the next village. Upon her return, she was bitten by a snake. Isatu Bangura went to the health center at Rokassa for treatment at the same time Dr. Jeff Gingrich and the U.S. Team were in Rokassa. Isatu Bangura was seen by Dr. Jeff, and he referred her to Caring Hands to receive the proper care for a snake bite. She was admitted for three days. We thank God that Isatu Bangura is now feeling much better. “Thank you EduNations for the love and support that was given to me while I was sick because of the snake bite. EduNations took care of me like their own students, may God bless you all.” - Isatu Bangura |