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Moving on After Trauma: How Women in Sierra Leone Rebuild Their Lives After Widowhood Through Ebola

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Moving on After Trauma: How Women in Sierra Leone Rebuild Their Lives After Widowhood Through Ebola Moving on after trauma: How women in Sierra Leone rebuild their lives after widowhood through Ebola. By: Desirée Hessels Cover Picture: A women in front of her house in Pettifu Brown, Sierra Leone (2016). All photographs presented in this thesis are from the author’s private collection and her own original work. 2 Wageningen University – Department of Social Sciences. MSc Thesis Sociology of Development and Change – Disaster Studies Chair Moving on after trauma: How women in Sierra Leone rebuild their lives after widowhood through Ebola June 2017 MSc International Development Studies. Specialisation: Desirée Hessels BSc (910717 – 331 – 030) Disaster Studies Supervisor: dr. Han van Dijk Thesis Code: SDC – 80736 3 Acknowledgements As a young girl, my attention was always drawn to the pictures of unfamiliar faces and stories from countries far away, to those that are tested by their environment in a way I would never have to experience. I wondered ‘how do they live their lives?’ This passion led me to study cultural anthropology and international development. During my studies, I read about women in post-conflict situations, and the inequality in human rights they experience. I was curious to discover these women’s personal stories and their experiences in that situation. This led me to Sierra Leone to conduct my Master thesis research. It was a year with many challenges, and high lights. I am thankful that I was provided this opportunity, it gave me more insight in the academic processes that research contains and it took me to places I would never imagine to see. The most challenging was the period before the field research, and being in the field was surprisingly enjoyable and educational on both academic and personal level. Living with and among Sierra Leoneans created a unique experience to learn a new people and culture. Making new friends with the girls across the street, interviewing strong women and the visits to the provinces were truly adventurous and made me feel incredibly alive. The women that shared their heart breaking, but resilient stories with me, were an ongoing motivation to continue this thesis. Their strength and courage are an inspiration for me until today. I want to dedicate this thesis to them, the women that keep their heads up. I was not able to finish this thesis without the guidance and support of so many people. I want to thank you, Simon, my love, for your endless encouragement, patience and your infinite availability, when I was stuck in the thesis process once again. Thank you for your love and waiting for me when I was in Freetown. Mum and dad, thank you for making it possible to do this research in so many ways, for your love and dad thank you for correcting this thesis. I want to thank all of those I met in the field, that offered me their homes, their network and their guidance, without all of you I was never able to conduct the research that lies before you. I especially want to thank Klinsoul Samba, for your time and effort to guide me, making sure I was safe and introducing me in the ways of your land in a way that I was able to make it my home. Without you I would not have been able to finish the field research. Rachel Andringa, Marjoke Tiems, Esther van Ravenhorst, thank you my friends, for supporting me during the process and distraction when I was in need of some down time. Dr. van Dijk, thank you for your feedback and positivity, this always gave me new motivation to create something better. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me in our private lectures, that helped me finding my line of argument and the right content for this thesis, without you it would not have been possible to construct the thesis in this way. 4 Abstract Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries and suffering post-conflict consequences. This situation worsened when in May 2014 Ebola entered Sierra Leone with an immediate impact. One of the consequences of the Ebola epidemic has been the death of men, leaving many widows and their children behind. After the traumatic event, and the end of Ebola, these women had to rebuild their lives again. There is little knowledge on the social effects of Ebola; this thesis focuses on the rebuilding of lives of Sierra Leonean women after widowhood through Ebola. Qualitative research spanning a period of three months in three different areas in Sierra Leone was done to gather data. Theory on Ebola Viral Disease, social implications of post-conflict situations, widowhood, and gender inequality, was used for the research. The results show that widows are negatively impacted on an emotional level, experience status loss, and it had detrimental effects on their livelihoods. At first sight, remarriage seems a good solution to stabilize financial well-being and re-establish status, but most women decline that idea, as a new partner is an instable factor to the well-being and security of their children. While Ebola is a new and unknown cause of widowhood, the Ebola-widows do not differ much from African widows as a result from other causes. This topic needs further research to discover long-term consequences of Ebola on the livelihood of widows. Keywords: widowhood, Ebola, Sierra Leone, Post-Conflict, Gender 5 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 4 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 6 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................................ 15 2.1 The impact of conflict in Sierra Leone ......................................................................................... 16 2.2 Ebola as Viral Disease .................................................................................................................. 17 2.2.1 The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone ..................................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Infection................................................................................................................................ 18 2.2.3 Disease and Symptoms ......................................................................................................... 19 2.2.4 Death .................................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.5 Healing and Post-Ebola symptoms ....................................................................................... 19 2.3 Rebuilding lives after widowhood ............................................................................................... 19 2.3.1 Women in African societies and gender inequality ............................................................. 20 2.3.2 Defining widowhood ............................................................................................................ 20 2.3.3 Status loss of a widow .......................................................................................................... 21 2.3.4 Gender and access to land ................................................................................................... 21 2.3.5 Widowhood and household, economic well-being and access ........................................... 22 2.3.6 Remarriage ........................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.7 Remaining unmarried ........................................................................................................... 23 2.4 Personal Experiences of Widows, in relation to HIV/AIDS .......................................................... 24 2.4.1 HIV/AIDS widows .................................................................................................................. 25 2.4.2 Stigma ................................................................................................................................... 25 2.4.3 HIV/AIDS in households ........................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 3: Research Methodology ........................................................................................................ 28 3.1 Qualitative research .................................................................................................................... 29 3.1.2 Access ................................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Sampling ...................................................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................ 32 3.3.1 Interviews ............................................................................................................................
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