Africa - Western
Sierra Leone ranks 182 out of 189 on the Human Development Index (HDI). CARE International’s work in Sierra Leone is focused on healthcare, gender equality, and working with communities to prevent HIV/AIDS.
CARE International began work in Sierra Leone in 1961, initially focusing on school food programs to improve children’s nutrition.
We later conducted emergency response activities during the civil war (1991-2002) and supported community peacebuilding and rehabilitation after the conflict ended.
CARE International’s work in Sierra Leone is focused on healthcare and gender equality including working with communities to prevent HIV/AIDS and to change harmful social norms that prevent women and girls from understanding or accessing their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
This work includes supporting the national health system through providing medical supplies and modern contraception, as well as training medical professionals to provide quality healthcare.
We also work with youth in programs to end female genital mutilation. We prioritize working in districts heavily burdened by HIV and with high rates of teenage pregnancy.
Since 2020, CARE International has been responding to COVID-19 in Sierra Leone. Response efforts include spreading messaging on hygiene methods for preventing COVID-19, distributing food, cash, and vouchers, providing medical supplies, and supporting the continuity of sexual and reproductive health.
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 20 May, 2020. Women are excluded from information sharing on COVID-19 and from key high level decision making processes at national and regional level, says a new West Africa CARE gender analysis. Despite this, the analysis reveals how coronavirus is also creating opportunities to disrupt deeply entrenched gender inequalities.
On February 14th, 2019, the president of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio declared sexual violence a national emergency, vowing that sex with minors would be punishable by life in prison. However, the situation is highly political as, according to the national constitution, the president would need at least two thirds of the votes of the parliament to declare an emergency, which he did not. The opposition party, which has most of the parliament members, protested the decision.
West Africa is bracing for continued food insecurity, with several countries already having experienced food riots this year. A joint survey by CARE and Oxfam shows that the crisis is likely to be worsened by conflicts in Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Mali as food and fuel prices escalate globally.
In 2024, global humanitarian crises tested communities, yet their courage inspired hope. Chandra Prasad, our Global Photo Library Coordinator, selected 10 powerful images from over 5,000 submissions, capturing their strength and perseverance.
Rosaline, a nurse from Sierra Leone who was involved in the Ebola response, and now in the COVID-19 supported response by CARE shares her fears and learnings
The Epidemic Control and Reinforcement of Health Services (ECRHS) Program operated in Sierra Leone from 2015 to 2018 with $11.6 million in support from Germany’s Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW).
The COVID-19 pandemic in West Africa is currently exacerbating socio-economic issues, with women bearing the largest burden of caring for their families while also seeking to lead communities in prevention and adaptation.
English: Intersections of violence against women and girls with state-building and peace-building: Lessons from Nepal, Sierra Leone and South Sudan POLICY BRIEF “For me, addressing VAWG should be part of peace-building… it was not regarded as part of
In FY2024, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
