Sierra Leone

Country Profile

Capital: Freetown

Language: English

Population: 5.7 Million

Plan International has worked in Sierra Leone since 1976, helping children living in poverty access their rights to education, health, livelihood, sanitation and protection. Our programs benefit 7,000 children in 1,126 communities across the country.

Currently, we are focusing our efforts on tackling malaria. Sierra Leone has one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates, and 70% of these deaths are caused by malaria. We are implementing a project to prevent and control malaria prevention with the help of an investment by the European Commission and Plan International Germany of more than 1,000,000 euros over a 5 year period.

Plan international's core areas of activity include:

Education

Health

Economic security

Child protection

3 reasons why your support is so important in Sierra Leone

Each year, almost 40,000 children die before turning 5 years old, often from preventable or treatable diseases.
44% of children suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition.
More than a ¼ of children between the ages of 5-14 are engaged in child labour.

How your support is helping Sierra Leone:

Children are receiving a healthy start to life, which contributes to the reduction of under-five child mortality rates across the country.
Education is a top priority. We are working to improve the education system to offer quality education to all children without discrimination.
Ensuring all children in Sierra Leone are protected from abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence, including during emergency or crisis.

Country Comparison

Country	Sierra Leone	Canada
People living in poverty	53%	9%
Mortality of children under 5	161 deaths /1000 births	5 deaths /1000 births
Life expectancy	46 years	81 years

(World Bank, CIA World Factbook, World Health Organization)

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