Sierra Leone News

FREETOWN, 23 October 2017 --- In Sierra Leone, giving birth is one of the most dangerous times in a woman’s life. According to the most recent UN estimates, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, at 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births (UN, 2015). In simpler terms, this means that for every 100 babies born in the country, approximately one woman will lose her life. The nation also has high rates of neonatal deaths, and over 7,500 stillbirths are estimated to occur each year (WHO, 2013). 

FREETOWN, September 21 2017 --- On the morning of 14th August 2017, people in Sierra Leone awoke to tragic news. Following torrential rains, landslides had devastated communities in and around the country’s capital, Freetown. The landslide started in the Regent area, high on the slopes in the eastern part of the city, but flash floods, mudslides and boulders then cascaded down the mountainside, eviscerating everything in their way.

FREETOWN, 15 September 2017 – Sierra Leone’s first ever Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign kicked off today, September 15th 2017. The emergency campaign targets communities affected by Western Area’s severe floods and landslides, which left over 6,000 people displaced and caused over 500 confirmed deaths.

FREETOWN, September 13th 2017 - Sia Twiyor* survived the 14 August mudslides but lost 16 members of her family in the disaster including her husband, brothers and sisters. Some of them had come to spend the school holidays with her. Sia is now struggling to cope and has suffered countless sleepless nights since the incident occurred.

FREETOWN, 5 September 2017 – Half a million people in Sierra Leone will be able to access the life-saving cholera vaccine within weeks, the country’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation announced on Tuesday.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, 21 August 2017 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera in the wake of last week’s mudslides and flooding in Freetown. The Organization is also working with partners to ensure ongoing health care for the injured and displaced, and to provide psychological aid to those coping with trauma.

Ebie Williams brings her grandchild, Moses, to the main government hospital in Kenema. She enters the hospital barefoot, having rushed from her home, in tears. She tells how the child fell into terrifying convulsions before finally losing consciousness.