“Welcome to Sierra Leone, one of the world's worst places to live.” Not really the slogan you want to read on a travel brochure, but what happens when you have no choice and that place is your home?
According to the 2008 Global Hunger Index (GHI), which was released on the 14th, showed Sierra Leone, along with other sub-Saharan African countries, such as Niger, and Liberia, have the world's highest levels of hunger. While the extreme nature of hunger and starvation in the counties are alarming, they are sadly an improvement from the dire decade of famine in the 1990's.
Why is Sierra Leone in such a state? Much of the country's problems stem from the 11 year civil war, which ended in 2002. The long running conflict literally left healthcare and education services at a standstill. According to UN rankings, Sierra Leone was at the bottom of the list of a 177 countries regarding access to health care, education and a living-wage. The low quality of life provided for the average citizen is painfully apparent as not even half of the population as access to education, more than a quarter of the population is illiterate, some 30% of children do not make it past the age of 5 years old, and the average life span is only 40 years old.
The country's civil war also saw an estimated 10,000 child soldiers, who where led to commit murder and rape, young boys who tortured and amputated the limbs of thousands of victims. These children where part of the Small Boys Unit of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and since the end of the conflict all have had not only had little access to healthcare and education, but also to physiological assistance and adequate reintegration programs.
Silence about the situation in the country is mostly what one has found in the west, bar that of the Sierra Leonean emerge community, who have become quick to rally support for their brethren back in home. However loud the cry's it is painfully apparent that the children of Sierra Leone are not being heard loud enough, and that both aid and sustainable programs must be put into place to ensure the future of this generation and generations to come.
In other news, just last week government officials in Sierra Leone drafted a new law that to increase their control over any non-profit organization working in the country. Last month the country passed the Anti-Corruption Act, news of which came in the wake of the 2008 Transparency International (TI) ranking of perceptions of corruption in 180 countries, of which Sierra Leone ranked in the bottom 20.
Links:
UNICEF – Seirra Leone
Save the Children – Sierra Leone
SOS Children's Villages – Sierra Leone
CIA World Factbook – Sierra Leone
