Sierra Leone
Country Profile/Quick Facts
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Sierra Leone, once considered one of the most fortunate countries in sub-Saharan Africa, was shattered by a devastating civil war which raged from 1991 to 2002.
During this conflict over 80,000 civilians were killed, and 8,000 more were left maimed, often by brutal amputation.
Over 10,000 children were abducted; some were used as sex slaves, while others were forcibly recruited as soldiers and used to commit human rights abuses and atrocities.
The civil conflict caused the displacement of two-thirds of the Sierra Leonean population. Most fled to neighbouring Guinea and Liberia, forced to live in camps or in other settlements. Approximately 85 percent of the country's villages and towns were ravaged, public buildings damaged or destroyed, and vehicles and communications equipment looted.
Following the June 1999 Peace Agreement between the government and the main rebel group known as the Revolutionary United Front, a United Nations peacekeeping force was deployed to Sierra Leone. Disarmament began in May 2001 with the last peacekeepers withdrawing in December 2005. With the exception of a civilian UN office remaining in Sierra Leone, full responsibility for security has been left with domestic forces. Slowly, the government is re-establishing its authority.
In continuing progress towards stability in Sierra Leone, challenges remain around mounting tensions relating to the up-coming 2007 election, the deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighbouring Liberia.
Less than five years into Sierra Leone’s post-war phase, the population of 5.4 million people is continuously struggling to heal damaged psyches and rebuild towns and villages. Today, the decimated country is listed second last on the UN Human Development Index, ahead of Niger. Sierra Leone has one of the world's highest infant mortality rate and one of the lowest life expectancy rates – 40.8 years -- of any country in the world.
Sierre Leone Red Cross Society
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Sierra Leone Red Cross Food Distribution. | |
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Like the rest of the country, the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS) is recovering from the destructive effects of civil war. With a full-time staff of over 200 people and more than 3,000 volunteers, the SLRCS works with the International Committee of the Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to meet the humanitarian needs of the population, while rebuilding its capacities in core programming areas.
Recently, the SLRCS has also been working with the Canadian Red Cross to prepare for the Preventing Malaria in Africa bed net distribution campaign, slated for November 20-26, 2006.
Canadian Red Cross Supports Health Projects
Since 2003, the Canadian Red Cross has supported six large-scale bed-net initiatives in Africa, distributing over 1.7 million free bed-nets. These efforts have proven to be a successful strategy in preventing malaria in children under five.
The Sierra Leone 2006 campaign aims to deliver 875,000 LLINs (long-lasting insecticide-treated nets) to the country’s most vulnerable people – each and every child under five years of age.
More information about the Sierra Leone bed-net campaign»
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Capital: Freetown |
