Orphans in Need works across Sierra Leone in West Africa to provide essential aid and support to the communities who need it the most. Sierra Leone is a country that has faced continued roadblocks on the road to stability and economic growth, with children often at the forefront of the issues that seemingly plague the nation.

As a Sierra Leone charity, we work to provide assistance, no matter the circumstances. Since we began offering help in Sierra Leone, we have supported children and communities facing natural disasters, sanitation issues, hunger and malnutrition, civil conflict and the Ebola crisis. Whilst we have been able to help many who need it, lots more still require our support, but we can’t offer it without your donations.

From 1991 to 2001, Sierra Leone was locked in a divisive civil war that claimed the lives of 50,000 people and displaced a further two million – many of whom were children who had lost parents in the conflict. Following the peace agreement, the war ended and the country showed positive signs of economic growth and stability.

Orphans and Ebola in Sierra Leone

Many people were still living in poverty and had limited access to food, sanitation and education, but the country was moving forwards and making progress. In 2014, a major setback in the form of Ebola came, and 4,000 people lost their lives. Sierra Leone was not entirely stable at the time, and many people lacked access to healthcare. The Ebola pandemic amplified the fragilities within the Sierra Leonean healthcare system and it became overwhelmed.

In November 2015, the country was declared Ebola-free, but it has yet to recover from the devastation the disease left in its wake. Children have been disproportionality affected by the overwhelmed healthcare system and incurred poverty. Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternity mortality rates in the world. Some figures estimate one in 17 women are at risk of dying in childbirth. In 2016, 1,360 out of every 100,000 mothers died giving birth. Every year, thousands of Sierra Leone children are left orphaned and are sent to orphanages.

There are so many children in need of support that the local orphanages cannot provide care to all. Overall, 32.2% of Sierra Leoneans do not have access to safe drinking water, and a further 31.3% of children are stunted in growth as a result of malnutrition and food insecurity.

Orphans in Need has teams on the ground to provide urgent assistance to communities in Sierra Leone. We work tirelessly to install sanitation and drinking water facilities, distribute essential food packages and enrol children in school so that they may break out the cycle of poverty and build a promising future for themselves. We also assist orphanages to support all the children in their care, and we work to rebuild communities to prevent future generations from suffering.

We have helped thousands of children, but we need your help to save the children in Sierra Leone who have yet to receive life-saving aid. Please donate to our appeal and help us support those most in need.