SOS Children in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is one of Africa's smallest countries. On the coast of West Africa, this densely populated country has been devastated by over ten years of civil war which displaced more than half the population, and created enormous economic and social problems. Since the elections held in 2000, the situation has been slowly returning to normal, but much of the infrastructure remains damaged.
The charity started its work in Sierra Leone in 1974 when the Freetown community opened on the edge of the city, on the main road leading to the sea. The village has thirteen family houses and five youth houses, as well as a transit home for youngsters who are semi-independent. There is a nursery and a school for both primary and secondary pupils (400), both of which are open to local children, as is the vocational training centre which specialises in printing. An SOS social centre provides community support with meals for all the pupils attending the SOS school.
There is a very high incidence of polio in Sierra Leone and in 1988 an SOS facility was established in the Freetown SOS Children's Village, providing specialised care and education for handicapped children with the aim of integrating them into society despite their handicaps. Most of them spend only a limited time with SOS, returning to their families who are usually not able to care for them for material reasons.
The charity's second village in Sierra Leone opened in 1983 near the city of Bo, the country's second largest city which has over 30,000 inhabitants. It has nine family houses and three youth houses, as well as a nursery and social centre, both of which are open to the local community. A Primary and Secondary School also provides vocational training in textiles and home economics, and meals are provided by the social centre. Alongside the village is a farm producing cereals, vegetables and fruit for use by both of the SOS Children's Villages.
During the civil war, both the SOS Children’s Villages in Sierra Leone operated community feeding programmes providing over 700 people (mostly mothers and children) with a daily meal, as well as medicines, food, clothing and emergency accommodation to refugees fleeing the fighting. To meet the longer term needs, the national government asked SOS Children to open a third village. The third SOS Children’s Village opened in 2007 at Makeni, about 100 miles east of the capital, Freetown. Makeni had been a rebel stronghold during the civil war and much of the infrastructure had been destroyed. The new SOS Children’s Village has twelve family homes, which will give a loving family home to up to 200 orphaned and abandoned children. There are also an SOS Nursery School and an SOS Primary School, which will give much needed education to the local community as well as the children of the SOS Children’s Village.
See also Aids Orphan Projects in Sierra Leone, Africa
Local Contacts
SOS Children in Sierra Leone
SOS Children's Villages Sierra Leone, Hermann Gmeiner Avenue, POB 322, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: +232 22 27 25 26 or +232/22/23 46 06
Fax: +232 22 27 26 42
e-mail: sos-no@sossierraleone.org
www.sossierraleone.org
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