FREETOWN, NOVEMBER, 28, 2014, (CISA) – Caritas Sierra Leone has joined the Fatima House of Light project run by the Handmaid Sister’s in its continuing intervention in the fight against the Ebola Virus.

According to the Director of the Caritas Office, the Archdiocese of Freetown, Fr Peter Koteh, the aim of the project is to empower the sisters in providing training to young women, mostly ex-commercial sex workers, to take Ebola awareness messages to vulnerable communities.

He said with the outbreak of Ebola which led to the closure of all learning institutions in the country, Caritas decided to shift its attention to providing training to young women to help in the fight against the deadly virus.

“We believe this group of people is vital in the broader sense of reaching all communities,” said Fr Konteh.

“At the same time we are hoping the sensitization work will keep these women focused until life could return to normal,” Fr Konteh added.

Fr Konteh noted that “over the years thankfully and by God’s grace, the church through its charity work ran various skills training courses targeting these women.”

The courses include catering, hairdressing, auto mechanics and secretarial courses.

The Fatima House of Light project is funded by the US-based Healey International Foundation. It started after Sierra Leone’s civil war to help young underprivileged women some of whom got involved in the sex trade due to the lack of opportunities at the time.