On April 23rd, 20 years have passed since the 11-year conflict in Sierra Leone. Between 1992 and 1995, Brother of St. John of God, José María Chávarri, witnessed the atrocities of the war while working at the Hospital as head of the Order's team that included members of both warring factions. His experience reflects the consequences of A war over blood diamonds that began in Liberia in 1989 and spread to Sierra Leone in 1991. The outcome: 250,000 dead, childhoods stolen, and wounds that the country is still struggling to heal today to face the future.
The Hospital's Community of Brothers was made up of eight members at that time: seven Spaniards and one Ghanaian. The center already had a capacity of 110 beds and provided services, as it still does today, in the specialties of pediatrics, maternity, surgery, and traumatology. It also had operating rooms, a laboratory, X-rays, a section for tuberculosis patients, and currently a nursing school. People from the national and rebel forces came to the Hospital and "all of them were treated without distinction of ideology, religion or social status.", Brother Chávarri emphasizes.
The Order's team members provided healthcare in a very complicated environment, under constant tension due to the advance of troops and the uncertainty of a highly intense and completely unpredictable civil conflict. This is how Brother Chávarri recalls, acknowledging that "24 hours a day, we had a fixed and constant idea that something could happen at any moment. We couldn't concentrate on what was necessary; our imaginations often wandered to different matters, and we were frequently interrupted, requesting all kinds of assistance. When loud noises were heard, we were startled, thinking it might be gunshots or someone coming to rob us. It was a complicated situation. The same thing happened to all of us," he says.
In the course of his duties, Brother Chávarri had to travel to the country's capital, Freetown, to run errands and make purchases. During these trips, he witnessed "things that were very difficult to understand, such as checkpoints manned by both military sides, where, all too often, I encountered 11- to 15-year-olds with machine guns in hand, some of them drugged or intoxicated and who could shoot at any moment because they weren't aware of what they were doing. It was terrible," he says. "Later, a Xaverian priest created a center to rehabilitate these child warriors."
He recalls the helplessness faced in certain critical health situations. “What to do when faced with certain problems? Often, we had no solution to the many emergencies that arose. Someone died from a simple gunshot wound, someone was seriously injured, serious family problems, etc. There were too many cases to which we couldn't provide adequate responses due to a lack of necessary medical supplies, since the hospital is located inland and it wasn't easy to get around in those circumstances to acquire supplies.”
Without sufficient resources, they couldn't meet some basic needs like food and clothing. Brother Chávarri recalls a specific situation: "A child, a neighbor of ours, came one afternoon to tell us that his father had died in an ambush not far from the hospital. What could we do? These were situations beyond our reach."
We never left the Hospital
He The sound of gunfire was constant, but there were times when attacks focused on the towns near the hospital. "When this happened, it created great confusion. Residents of the nearest town came seeking refuge in the hospital.", and the sick people being treated there fled in fear to seek refuge in the undergrowth and the forest. People came and went in a stampede and disorder.
At that time, the hospital opened its doors wide so that people could move freely. “In cases where the patient had an IV pump, it was disconnected, if the patient so requested, so they could escape,” Brother explains. “The staff and nurses left the hospital in a state of alarm so they could check on their own families; some children got lost after joining strangers. We always remained in the hospital.”
The unbearable insecurity caused the volunteers working at the hospital to gradually abandon the facility, either leaving or taking refuge in the Spanish Embassy and waiting for an opportunity to leave the country. Thus, the Evangelical ophthalmology clinic near the hospital closed its doors. The Italian parish priest of Lunsar also left after the Bishop's call, "and the four Mexican Carmelite missionary nuns who worked with us went to another community because they felt safer there," he recalls.
After this exodus, only six people remained running the center, but it was worth it just for the visit from "a group of people to thank us for not leaving. They told us that seeing the hospital lights at night gave them great peace of mind and security, allowing them to stay in their homes; otherwise, they would have had to flee, losing what little they had."
Collecting bodies became another of their goals, burying them in an area they had set aside behind the community center. He also recalls that they were never a target, since "everyone needed us for medical care or food."
Everything was about giving and offering in the face of so much need.
The escalating conflict began to affect the most basic supplies; food reserves were dwindling, and travel to the capital became increasingly difficult. Faced with this situation, "one of the brothers began cooking three pots of rice a day. It's very difficult to live through this situation, even to believe it without seeing it with your own eyes. It tears your heart apart." This impact was so profound that this Brother, Chávarri recalls, "a serious and strong person, was completely transformed into a kind and splendid person. He held nothing back; he was all about giving and offering in the face of such need."
“I could recount many more real events that occurred over the days, but I can't fail to mention Brother Manuel García Viejo, a surgeon and internist, completely dedicated to his work of saving lives, always faithful to his mission and available day and night for any emergency that arose,” he notes. Brother Manuel continued his work in Sierra Leone until 2014, when he contracted Ebola at the same Lunsar hospital and was transferred from there to Spain, where he died days after his arrival.
But Brother Manuel wasn't the only one affected by this disease. Several workers died from the same infection. "Several brothers of the Order have died in Africa because of their unconditional dedication to living the philosophy, values, and legacy of our founder, Saint John of God."Brother Chávarri recalls. Their dedication was recognized in 2015, when the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God received the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord for its 500-year history of serving society's marginalized, sick, and needy.
Looking back, Brother Chávarri speaks of a “very difficult but at the same time very positive experience. Difficult times that we hope will never be repeated. Never, ever wish for war; conflicts must be resolved through other means.” Because the outcome is unacceptable: “So many families destroyed, many people dead, the country's economy regressing to absolute poverty, barbarism and brutality everywhere, women abused, children who have lost their parents, outbreaks of mental illness caused by psychological wounds that will never heal, and countless problems with no possible solution.”
For all these reasons, the Brother advocates reconsidering, growing up, and "taking upon our shoulders the needs of others, avoiding personal enrichment at the expense of others. Let us take a stand against corruption, human exploitation, and the many situations that cause war and hatred among humans. Never again. Never repeat the same mistakes."
“I said above that The community was made up of a group of Spanish brothers and an African; but now it's made up of a group of Africans and no Europeans. A beautiful reality. The seed that was originally planted has now borne fruit."It is the African brothers of St. John of God who efficiently carry forward the Juandedian mission and the charism of hospitality."
