Suckling Mother reveals why queuing along with her 8-month-old child to vote doesn’t matters

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson

Yesterday, June 24, during the voting in Makeni city, hundreds of eligible voters queued to vote across their respective centers but Sinnah Koroma and her 8-month-old child were spotted by AWE-Media.SL queuing for over three hours before she voted. Moved by her courage to wait that long on the queue together with her child, I waited patiently after she had successfully casted her vote at the Church of God, Makeni polling center 4190 and approached her for an interview about what kept her strong while queuing anxiously with her child waiting to vote, among other things. In her response, Koroma, 41 said spending hours at the center which is the largest in Bombali district comprising 8 polling stations never borders her. “While I was in the queue waiting to vote I was praying silently to God for my preferred candidates to emerge victorious, so I didn’t even noticed I had stood longer in the queue because I was also excited to take part in the 5th general elections of my country since I started voting in 2002,” she said. When asked why she had come along with her child to the voting center instead of leaving her baby home, she said “I’ve nobody whose care I would leave my child in, my husband as well had left home earlier today to go and cast his vote, she disclosed. Adding her coming to the voting center to cast her vote is in anticipation with her desire “to exercise her franchise as a responsible and law abiding citizen of her country Sierra Leone, play active role in the process of electing leaders to form the next government for the next five years that will help to provide more opportunities for women’s empowerment and support for enhanced and sustainable livelihood to help them be able to daily fend for themselves, their children and families.”