Sierra Leone
Our work there at a glance:
- Support for children's hospital in Freetown
- Skill support for street children (financial support for training)
- Deployment of medical personnel
- Further training of local staff
Our goals
Rebuilding the medical infrastructure.
Rebuilding the medical infrastructure.
Physical and psychological support for street children.
Physical and psychological support for street children.
School education and (re)integration in families and schools.
School education and (re)integration in families and schools.
Musicumentary in Sierra Leone
Mirta – Revolución feat. Gert Kapo, Roland Peil & Regis Molina
Latest news
Project reports
Sierra Leone’s Healthcare System | 10 Years after Ebola
Cap Anamur was one of the few aid organizations to maintain medical care in Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016. Today, we continue to help build up the healthcare system.
Counteracting the High Child Mortality Rate in Sierra Leone
The high child mortality rate continues to be a major global challenge. The mortality rates of newborns and infants in Sierra Leone are among the highest in the world at 34 and 82 per 1,000 live births respectively.
Outreach as pediatrician for Cap Anamur in Sierra Leone
Friederike Scheu spent six months working for Cap Anamur in Sierra Leone. As a pediatrician, she has worked at the largest children's hospital in the country. During her assignment, she gained a lot of experience. Among other things, that the work in Sierra Leone is very different from that in Germany.
Rebuilding the Medical Infrastructure
Cap Anamur has been working in Sierra Leone since 2003 to rebuild the completely collapsed health system. In Freetown, we operate the Ola During Childrens Hospital. There, deployed medical professionals also work to care for the children and provide continuing education to medical staff.
Street Children Learn for an Independent Life
In the street children's shelter Pikin Paddy, we give boys and girls a perspective through various projects so that they can shape their lives independently in the future. In addition to school support, we also offer interested young people the opportunity to learn craft skills that they can use for professional purposes.
A Day of Games, Fun and a Colorful Carousel
From morning until early afternoon, up to 600 children from the slum area were given the opportunity to ride on a carousel for the first time in their lives.
Key health data
Life expectancy
60/54 years
(women/men)
Infant mortality
69
per 1,000 births
Doctors
0,1
per 1,000 inhabitants
Cap Anamur engagement in Sierra Leone
1988 – 1999 2003 – today
The situation in Sierra Leone
Political situation
A long civil war in the 1990s destroyed large parts of the country. Social structures such as politics and the economy or the health and education systems collapsed at that time. There were no longer any prospects for the future, certainly not for the traumatised children, thousands of whom had been forced to participate in the war as armed soldiers. The situation in the country has been difficult ever since.
Social situation.
After years of rebuilding, the Ebola virus ravaged West Africa between 2014 and 2016, killing nearly 4,000 people in Sierra Leone alone. Once again, the health care system was shut down across the country. In the capital Freetown, there are also countless children living on the streets who have left their families for various reasons and are now on their own. Defenceless against the dangers of the big city, the mostly minors try to earn their living with odd jobs.
Since 2003, Cap Anamur has once more been active in Sierra Leone with the reconstruction of the medical infrastructure as well as comprehensive aid for street children.
On the road in the slums of Freetown: Dr Werner Strahl (Chairman of Cap Anamur) talking to children.
Our engagement in Sierra Leone
Ola During Childrens Hospital (ODCH)
Ola During Childrens Hospital (ODCH)
Cap Anamur looks after a children’s hospital in Freetown, the country’s capital. Here, we organize and finance the delivery of medicines and medical equipment, as well as the construction and repair of buildings and the hospital’s infrastructure. We send medical staff to treat patients, but also train local staff and optimize administrative processes in the wards and in management.
"Pikin Paddy" shelter for street children
"Pikin Paddy" shelter for street children
From 2012 to 2023, we ran the shelter for street children. We provided those affected with psychosocial and other support. We offered the children school-like lessons, they were able to take part in sports or creative programs and received regular meals and a safe place to sleep. The support led to the children being reunited with their families and school. We ended the project as there are now a sufficient number of actors in Sierra Leone who are active in this area and we therefore know that the street children in Freetown are well looked after.
Hygiene project
Hygiene project
We installed a hygiene project in the slums of Freetown in 2014. Cap Anamur started this hygiene project as a preventative measure during the Ebola epidemic. A total of ten toilet blocks were cleaned three to four times a day by local employees and stocked with hygiene products. Around 2,000 people visit these toilets every day. We handed over this project to a private operator at the beginning of 2024.
What happens next
Ten years after Ebola, the health system in Sierra Leone has still not been restored. Moreover, since 2020, the Corona pandemic has led to significant limitations in medical care. That is why we will continue to support this hospital, which is so important for the country, in 2024 with technical, personnel and financial support.
