CARE in Sierra Leone

CARE established its office in Sierra Leone in 1961.

In Sierra Leone we:

improve agriculture, for example by teaching farmers new farming techniques
provide access to clean water and sanitation
improve health care
fight HIV and AIDS

CARE initially focused on improving child nutrition through school feeding programmes. During the late 1960s and in the 1970s, we built and repaired roads and bridges in isolated rural communities.

Sierra Leone was subjected to more than a decade of brutal civil war which ravaged the already poverty-stricken country. Life expectancy at birth in Sierra Leone is approximately 42 years.

Diseases such as malaria and HIV and AIDS are the major causes of death. About four-fifths of the population lives in absolute poverty, forced to survive on less than 60p a day.

In January 2002, the parties involved in the conflict declared peace, and Sierra Leone has begun to look to the future with new hope for reconciliation and development. Since the end of the conflict, over 500,000 people who were forced to flee during the war have returned to their homes.

CARE in action:

Strengthening communities
CARE aims to enable communities and local organisations to participate more effectively in development programmes and local government policy by providing support to local organisations and building partnerships between them.

Improving healthcare
CARE is working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. We plan to carry out widespread immunisation, improve nutrition, and provide malaria treatment. CARE is also improving the health care available to newborn babies and pregnant mothers. We have set up community health clubs and are training local health practitioners to raise community awareness about health issues.