Sierra Leone

As we are busying ourselves with the Togo outreach, we are also excited about the news that we will most likely be going to Sierra Leone in 2011. The last time Mercy Ships was in Sierra Leone was from November 2003 to June 2004. Between the years 2001 to 2004, Mercy Ships had three outreaches in Sierra Leone. Now, six years later, the Africa Mercy is looking forward to visiting Sierra Leone for a ten-month outreach.

FACTS ON THE COUNTRY:

Geography

• Sierra Leone is located in West Africa on the coast, right of Guinea and left of Liberia.
• It has an area of 71,740 sq km.

People

• Sierra Leone has a population of 5,132,138.
• Infant mortality rate is 82 per every 1,000.
• Sierra Leone is the most dangerous country for a women to be pregnant.
• 60% of the population is Muslim, 30% practice indigenous beliefs, and a minority of 10% are Christian.
• English is the official language, though there is a variety of about (number) tribal languages.
• Common diseases include: diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, yellow fever, Lassa fever, malaria, and schistosomiasis
  

Government

• Sierra Leone got its Independence from Britain on the 27th of April 1961.
• Government type: Constitutional Democracy
• Capital: Freetown

Economy

• GDP-per capita (PPP): $900 (in 2009)
  
• Population below Poverty Line: 70%
• Currency: (Sierra Leonian) leone (SLL)
• In the Human Development Report of 2009, Sierra Leone ranks 180th, with only two other countries behind.

Civil War in Sierra Leone

From 1991 to 2001 Sierra Leone suffered from a civil war. The control of Sierra Leone's diamond industry was a major cause of war. The war finally came to an end when Britain stepped in and took control of Sierra Leone's government. The British also retrained the army to keep peace. In the nine years that this war went on, 50,000 people died and over 2 million Sierra Leoneans were displaced by the conflict (over 1/3 of the population), many of whom are now refugees in neighbouring countries. 100,000 civilians were deliberately mutilated (including children), an estimated 3,000 towns and villages (including schools and hosptitals) were destroyed by the war, and 10-15,000 children were abducted and used as soldiers. An estimated 3% of the population of Sierra Leone has HIV/AIDS due to rape and sexual abuse that was a rampant weapon of war. Because of the spread of HIV/AIDS, 1,000s of children were orphaned, and many of them also obtained the virus. There was and still is an immense shortage of food, clothes, shelters, medicines and other essential supplies.

Picture (first) taken from "It Dawned On Me" blog by Diane Beeler. (2008-2010 © All Rights Reserved)

Picture (second) taken from Shane's Flying Disc Show on flickr. (© All Rights Reserved)

by Kim Anna and Alanah