By Tommy Francis Alpha
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – In a country where autism and other neurological conditions are often misunderstood, hidden or feared, a small charity founded in memory of a young woman is drawing attention to what advocates call one of Sierra Leone’s most neglected public health realities.
On Monday, January 19, the Mabinty Martha Charity Foundation marked the birthday of its namesake with a visit to the Hosetta Abdallah Memorial Special Needs School in eastern Freetown, sharing food with students and spending hours with children whose lives echo a familiar story of stigma, isolation and resilience.
For many families in Sierra Leone, autism remains a “forgotten reality.” Limited diagnostic services, scarce educational resources and deep-rooted cultural beliefs have left children with developmental disabilities vulnerable to abuse and abandonment. Some are still wrongly labeled as witches or wizards, a stigma that can lead to social exclusion or worse.
The foundation’s commemorative visit carried particular emotional weight. Martha Mabinty Buya-Kamara, whose birthday falls on Jan. 19, began living with severe disabilities at the age of 2 after contracting bacterial meningitis. She lived with its complications for more than 27 years before her death on Aug. 15, 2024, at age 29.
Her mother, the Rev. Mrs. Aminata Lavern Buya-Kamara, speaking to school authorities, parents and children during the event, described the quiet struggles families face when raising children with special needs.
“From learning how they communicate, to understanding their interactions, their food choices and emotional needs, every day requires patience and love,” she said. “To celebrate Martha’s birthday with children who endure similar challenges is to celebrate even in the midst of difficulty.”
Founded in Martha’s memory, the Mabinty Martha Charity Foundation serves as an advocacy and resource center for children and young adults living with meningitis and its long-term complications, including developmental and physical disabilities. The organization was officially launched on Aug. 17, 2025, two days after the first anniversary of Martha’s death.
The birthday observance at the Hosetta Abdallah school, located in the Kissy Mess Mess community, included the distribution of cooked meals and informal engagement with students, teachers and nearby residents. Organizers said the goal was not only to honor Martha’s life but also to strengthen understanding of special needs and to begin building long-term partnerships.
“We hope this marks the beginning of a strong collaboration,” Mrs. Lavern Buya-Kamara said in a statement, thanking the school’s administration for welcoming them and expressing a shared commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities have access to information, care and dignity.
At the Hosetta Abdallah Memorial Special Needs School, the foundation’s mission intersected with the realities faced daily by one of the country’s oldest autism-focused institutions. In an exclusive statement, the school’s head teacher, Mrs. Aminata Emelai Bangura, described the facility as a mental health institution dedicated solely to learners with autism.
“This school was established in 1979 in honor of Hosetta, an autistic child of the Abdallah family,” Mrs. Bangura said. “It started with just six autistic learners. Today, we serve more than a hundred.”
Despite its growth, she said, the school continues to struggle with chronic challenges, including inadequate funding, inconsistent feeding programs, and limited welfare support for both learners and caregivers. Basic infrastructure remains a concern: classrooms lack proper furniture, and the compound has insufficient security.
“Our environment is vulnerable to intruders,” Mrs. Bangura said, recounting a 2018 incident in which a child at the school was raped — a traumatic episode that underscored the risks faced by an already vulnerable population.
In a society where children with autism and related conditions are too often pushed to the margins, the foundation’s work reflects a growing, if still fragile, effort to replace fear with understanding, and silence with advocacy.
The foundation also acknowledged the support of its board of trustees, sponsors, partners and extended family members who have helped carry the vision forward since its inception.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 28th January 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
