ChildFund Sierra Leone

With your support, ChildFund has helped children in Sierra Leone get a strong start in life since 1965.

Located on Africa’s west coast, Sierra Leone has faced many hardships, including a brutal 10-year civil war that ended in 2002 and, during 2014-15, the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history. During the war, tens of thousands of lives were lost, and about one-third of the population was displaced. Ebola claimed nearly 4,000 lives in Sierra Leone, and more than 14,000 people contracted the virus. Sierra Leone has made significant progress in recent years, but the infant mortality rate remains the fifth-highest in the world, with 71 children dying per 1,000 live births.

ChildFund Sierra Leone supports children’s health from infancy through adolescence by promoting good nutrition, preventing disease and improving access to essential health services. For the youngest children, we help moms prepare nutritious, home‑grown weaning foods, reduce maternal mortality through accessible medicines, prevent malaria, provide routine vitamin A supplementation, and ensure access to safe and clean water. As children grow, ChildFund continues to protect them from diarrheal diseases, connects them with child‑friendly health services, sustains malaria prevention efforts, and strengthens water, sanitation and hygiene practices. For youth, programs focus on health education, legal rights awareness, menstrual hygiene support, access to clean water and sanitation, and awareness on the dangers of drug abuse — ensuring that young people have the knowledge and resources to stay healthy throughout their transition to adulthood.

ChildFund Sierra Leone strengthens children’s education by laying a strong early foundation and ensuring continued learning through adolescence. For young children, we support holistic early childhood development (ECD) by training educators, equipping parents and caregivers, and expanding access to early learning through the establishment and improvement of ECD centers — including better infrastructure and adequate seating. As children enter and progress through primary school, ChildFund enhances literacy and numeracy through supportive home and school environments, promotes quality teaching, and ensures children’s emotional and physical well‑being so they can stay in school and thrive. We also provide essential learning materials, support safe and inclusive education both at home and in the classroom, and champion girls’ education by helping those who have dropped out — due to challenges such as pregnancy or poverty — reenroll and continue their studies.

ChildFund Sierra Leone helps children build essential life skills by providing age‑appropriate support from early childhood through young adulthood. In the earliest years, programs strengthen parents’ and caregivers’ abilities to nurture healthy development by teaching skills related to nutrition, health and emotional support. As children grow, ChildFund encourages them to engage in decision‑making that affects their well‑being and supports their social and emotional development through education and protection initiatives. For youth, we help build the capacity to make responsible choices about health and substance use, while also promoting active civic participation so young people can serve as agents of positive change in their communities. ChildFund Sierra Leone further strengthens youth employability by offering formal internship opportunities within its offices and local partners — opportunities that have helped more than 20 young people gain practical experience and secure employment.

ChildFund Sierra Leone protects children by creating safe, supportive environments that prevent abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence while strengthening families, communities and systems that safeguard children’s rights. For the youngest children, programs focus on teaching parents and caregivers how to provide nurturing, protective care; supporting early childhood and maternal health; improving family livelihoods; and strengthening community‑based child protection mechanisms. As children grow, ChildFund teaches them about their rights and personal safety, expands psychosocial support during emergencies, and works with community partners to promote child participation and advocacy. We also play an active role in national coalitions focused on ending violence against children — efforts that contributed to outlawing child marriage in Sierra Leone. For youth, ChildFund builds resilience through life‑skills training, peer support and mentorship, while encouraging young people to advocate for their own protection through initiatives like the Voice Now! program. Together, these programs ensure that children and adolescents are nurtured, supported and protected at every stage of life.