There are many children in Sierra Leone who, through many factors, have been orphaned, extremely deprived, abandoned, or separated from their families. The past protracted civil war further disfranchised many people and robbed children of their homes and family resources. Coupled with other disadvantaged situations, many children lack proper food, clothing, shelter, and composite fees for other school materials and proper health care. For these children, absolute assistance would be beneficial in order to ensure that the child can be educated and grow to become a responsible and self-sufficient adult.
As one of our core mandates and a center of concern, we seek to make available related opportunities to these extremely deprived children in order to help them achieve the necessities of a real-life situation.
Communities within our operational areas (Bombali, Karene, Port Loko, Kambia, Tonkolili, and Koinadugu) are the poorest communities in Sierra Leone. Some villages within these operational areas lack educational facilities. Children within these communities have to walk ten or more miles to access school. Indeed, some villages within these six districts are remote, and they lack the basic services necessary for human survival. Women in these villages are poor, and their children are poor too.
Over the years, we have been able to provide support to 15,924 children in 250 communities in five districts (Bombali, Karene, Port Loko, Kambia, Tonkolili, and Koinadugu) within Northern Sierra Leone. Presently, we are providing support to 1,736 needy children in these districts. Our support for these deprived categories of children has ranged from school support, psychosocial counseling, foster care, health care, quality care support, including food and clothing, and also support for some caregivers who look after them.
Some of the children we support are open to foster care and adoption. Over the years, we have realized considerable support from adoptive parents towards the welfare of some of these children. Their roles have had a great impact on helping these children achieve a better future.
Therefore, with available resources, we hope to continually provide opportunities for these children that would make available a safe and secure environment for educated and confident children.