My Country: Sierra Leone
Population: 6.6 million (July 2020)
Life Expectancy: 59.8 years
Orphaned Children: 370,000
Attendance in early childhood education: 14%
Children sleeping under mosquito nets: 49%
Children in the Ngolala Village Partnership Program live in small villages in the surrounding area. In a country that is struggling to rebuild after a decade-long rebel war that began in 1991, and the Ebola epidemic in 2014, these rural communities remain locked in poverty. Mining in the area reduces the amount of land available for farming and further heightens the need for a good education or skills training.
Children here live with their families, and sometimes extended families, in mud huts. Access to electricity, running water, and decent sanitation is almost nonexistent. Polygamy is a common practice, resulting in some families having many children. Most families rely on subsistence farming for survival. The children do chores like collecting firewood, sweeping, washing clothes, and carrying water from the river or well. They speak Mende, the local language, at home and English in school.
Since 2006, sponsors like you have partnered with our staff to build a nursery, primary, and secondary school and to provide these children with daily meals, school fees, medical care, spiritual guidance, and hygiene and school supplies. By continuing to equip these children with tools for success, we believe they will grow up to create positive change in their community and, ultimately, their nation.
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