Freetown — Scores of stone hewing women and girls along the Hill Station and IMATT axis have called on government and non-governmental organizations to come to their aid by providing them with an alternative means of livelihood.

Adama Bangura, a mother of three children, said they are finding it difficult to engage in such rigorous activity only to provide for their daily sustenance. "We are hewing stones to survive because there is no other means of livelihood. Our children have to go to school. We can only pay their fees and provide them with other materials from monies we get from chopping granite stones," she explained.

Adama also expressed that the buyers at times feel reluctant to give them their money after breaking the huge stones to granite. "They sometimes feel so reluctant to pay us our money and in many occasions they refused to pay us. We are being maltreated by this rich people and there is no way we can fight them. We are appealing to government and NGOs to come to our aid and provide us with other means of livelihood," she appealed.

Aminata Mansaray also expressed her ordeals saying, "We hew the stones but could not get our money in time. We have to incur huge debts and have to pay back when those with the power (referring to the buyers) are willing give us our money. We want the government or any NGO to help us either with skills training or provide us micro-credit to engage in business," she called.

It is believed that most of these women were displaced during the 11 years rebel war, many of whom are caretakers. Most of them live in makeshift homes constructed for them by their landlords. They are amongst the vulnerable people with no educational or better health facilities in the community.