Sierra Leone gained its independence from The United Kingdom in 1961 and appeared to handle the transition well while other newly independent states broke down into tribal warfare. However by 1991 a civil war broke out that proved to be one of the
cruellest and most destructive in human history, at least in the last century. Out of a
population of just six million, by the end of hostilities
50,000 were left dead, many more wounded, disabled
and/or orphaned and two million displaced. Although the
war has been finished for over a decade its impact still
deeply affects a scarred society in Sierra Leone leaving
it in 182nd place out of 189 countries and territories
in 2019 when ranked in terms of life expectancy,
literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards
of a country.
Worse than the poverty, worse than the destruction of most of the country's
infrastructure, was and is the psychological damage to all the children who were
killed or forced to take up arms as child soldiers and murder those within their own communities leaving a legacy of
hopelessness and abandonment at the end of the war. These children had no where to go and no-one would welcome them. Volunteer work opportunities in Sierra Leone consequently focus on
rebuilding works ~ schools, hospitals and orphanages ~ as well as health care and rolling out HIV
awareness and prevention campaigns. There is also the opportunity to work with former child soldiers, sometimes just listening.
Please note many volunteer work opportunities in Sierra Leone have been put on hold because of travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefuly they will be back up and running soon. In the meantime, if you run or
know of a volunteer work project in Sierra Leone let us know by
contacting here. We look forward
to hearing from you!
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: The Lighthouse Project
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: We Yone Child Foundation
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: Tacugama
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: EduAid
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: King's Sierra Leone Partnership
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: Red Cross
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: The Empowering Children School Sierra Leone
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: Cids4Kids
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: Child Sponsor Sierra Leone
|
Volunteer Work Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Profile
|
![]() |
Details of current volunteer work
opportunities in each of the
countries of Africa.
Find how to sponsor a child in Africa
with our list of organisations,
charities, programs and projects.
Discover all about Africa, its tourist
attractions, history, people, culture
and daily life there.
A treasure trove of African
resources from webcams to
free downloads and news.