Our plan in Sierra Leone

Plan is working at the grassroots level in Sierra Leone to help communities make real and lasting change, so that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Sierra Leone is facing the challenge of reconstruction after ten years of war destroyed social and economic systems, caused high unemployment and left most parents unable to provide for their children's basic needs.  Essential services are still limited.

Plan started working in Sierra Leone in 1976, but had to scale down its operations during the civil war from 1991 to 2001.  Plan Sierra Leone currently has programs in five of the twelve areas across the country which aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Lack access to quality education and adult literacy rate is the lowest in the world
• Poor health conditions of children, with high morbidity and mortality levels among children and mothers
• Low capability of parents and communities to support children's growth and development, due to extreme poverty
• Children live in unfavourable physical and socio-cultural environments
• Children lack opportunities for building and strengthening global relationships

Plan's programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Education

With the lowest literacy rate in the world, Plan Sierra Leone's programs work to provide sufficient, quality infrastructure and educational resources.  Plan also promotes community involvement of education management and planning and advocates for greater financial input into educational services.

Health

Sierra Leona experiences high morbidity and mortality levels among children and mothers.  Plan Sierra Leone works to expand school-based health initiatives relating to community health, hygiene, water and sanitation.  Plan also promotes and advocates access to immunisation and basic health services and works to increase children and womenâ#€#™#s access to information on HIV and AIDS.

Community economic security

Plan Sierra Leone promotes entrepreneurship training, community involvement for management of community resources and access for women and young people to financial services.

Improving socio-cultural environment for children

Plan Sierra Leone advocates policies supporting child's rights and child protection and encourages children to become involved in decision-making processes.

See Plan's work in progress

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Country Facts

Country	Sierra Leone	Australia
Flag
Population	5.3 Million	21 Million
Language	English	English
Capital	Freetown	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	202	$37,300
Life expectancy	40.6	81.5
Access to safe drinking water	57%	100%
Literacy	35.1%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006