AVSI began operating in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s during the devastating civil war, supporting the work of the local organization Family Homes Movement (FHM).

AVSI’s first commitment was to ensure protection and care for the most vulnerable children, particularly those associated with armed groups. Over the years, AVSI’s engagement has diversified across several sectors: child protection, education, vocational training, access to energy, and clean cooking.

Sierra Leone is one of the most fragile countries in West Africa. 62.7% of the population lives in poverty, and 78% faces food insecurity. Access to basic services remains extremely limited: only 12% of households have access to adequate sanitation facilities, with significant consequences for people’s well-being.

In recent years, school enrollment has increased significantly, rising from 37% to 85% over seven years. However, the education system remains inadequate due to structural shortcomings and the still insufficient training of teaching staff.

Child labor remains a persistent challenge: 35.1% of children are engaged in work activities, many of which are hazardous.

Sierra Leone’s civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002, claimed around 50,000 lives and displaced more than 2 million people. The conflict, driven by corruption, poverty, youth unemployment, and the struggle over diamond resources, left the country’s economy in ruins and its infrastructure and social services devastated. The years that followed were marked by efforts toward reconstruction, reconciliation, and economic recovery.

After the end of the civil war, AVSI launched numerous interventions focusing on the reintegration of boys and girls associated with armed forces and armed groups, establishing reception centers, providing psychosocial support, and promoting social reintegration activities.

In addition, in the education sector, AVSI has trained teachers and supported primary and secondary schools, ensuring access to quality education for thousands of students.

In 2014, the country was hit by another major crisis: the Ebola epidemic. Between 2014 and 2016, Sierra Leone recorded more than 14,000 cases and over 3,900 deaths, making it one of the worst public health emergencies in its history. The outbreak overwhelmed the already fragile health system and deeply affected communities — impacts that are still being felt today.

In August 2017, another emergency struck Sierra Leone. The landslide on Regent Hill and the flooding of several informal settlements in the capital, Freetown, required an immediate response. Our staff supported damage assessment activities and the distribution of essential relief items, including food and basic non-food supplies.

In a context where children’s vulnerability is extremely high—driven by low levels of education, exposure to violence and abuse, and harmful cultural practices—the project contributes to the well-being of vulnerable children living in foster care arrangements (locally referred to as menpikin) and with foster families, while also helping prevent the abandonment of children living with their biological families.

It addresses protection, economic, and educational barriers to improve access to safe, inclusive, and quality education, engaging actors at multiple levels of a child’s development.

At the community level, adults responsible for children’s well-being—such as teachers, biological families, and foster families caring for menpikin children—are involved in training on Early Childhood Development and Education.

At the institutional level, the project strengthens foster care networks and provides technical support to relevant ministry staff, enhancing their capacity to identify, prevent, and respond to child vulnerability and protection cases at district level.

Sierra Leone registers elevated rates of children abandonment, widespread but unregulated use of informal foster care, and a limited birth registration, alongside low preschool enrollment rates and limited capacity of protection services to provide adequate care. These factors expose children to serious risks of neglect, exploitation, and violence.
To address these challenges, AVSI, in partnership with the Italian Authorized Bodies (AMI) and CIAI, implements an approach that builds on achievements from previous phases and is based on close collaboration with institutional partners.

The project strengthens state coordination of protection structures to support the creation of formal foster care pathways, and the elaboration of official policy documents, while empowering local and community actors by increasing their awareness of children’s physical and psychological well-being. By consolidating local networks and ensuring the active involvement of all stakeholders, the project contributes to building more welcoming and responsible environments that fully respect children’s rights and improve their health and psychological conditions.

The project supports five orphanages partnering with AVSI, working on two closely connected aspects: the skills of those who care for children and the children’s health. On one hand, it strengthens staff through trainings that help them manage even the most delicate situations and provide attentive care, taking into account child protection, hygiene, health, and emotional well-being. On the other hand, it improves children’s access to medical care through health vouchers for around 150 children, the distribution of essential kits, and support for vaccination campaigns in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

For over 20 years, AVSI’s Distance Support Program has enabled 801 children to access and complete their education. Most of the supported children attend Holy Family Schools in Madina-Tabai and Mayenkineh, which serve the Lokoh Town and Calaba Town communities. The school in Mayenkineh, built through AVSI’s efforts, is managed by FHM. Children are supported from preschool to secondary education in Freetown, and at the primary level in Madina-Tabai. In addition to covering school fees and supplies, AVSI offers close, continuous monitoring of each child's progress and works to ensure their overall well-being within the community.