Sierra Leone: Educating People with Disabilities about Ebola
In many developing countries, people with disabilities, are often not educated about health and disease prevention simply because the information is not shared in a format they can understand.
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Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, Humanity & Inclusion continues to run programs under the operating name "Handicap International."
Humanity & Inclusion in Sierra Leone
Since 1996, our teams have been responding to issues resulting from Sierra Leone's 11-year long civil war.
Sierra Leone was one of the countries severely affected by the Ebola epidemic in 2014. The country was declared Ebola-free in the spring of 2016, however, the epidemic left half of the population in extreme poverty.
People with disabilities in Sierra Leone experience physical, social, economic and cultural barriers that refuse them access to education, skills development and employment. With regards to gender, girls with disabilities experience greater exclusion and injustices in Sierra Leone. Due to a lack of resources and support, organizations for people with disabilities face many challenges as well, leading to a lack of representation of people with disabilities in society.
Humanity & Inclusion's goal in Sierra Leone is to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities by promoting their social inclusion and access to quality care.
Areas of Intervention
- Inclusive Education
- Mental Health
- Protection
Since Humanity & Inclusion launched a rehabilitation center in Bo in 1996, the organization has been instrumental in building the foundation of rehabilitation work in Sierra Leone. Our teams have reached out to tens of thousands of people including people with disabilities, girls, children and women who needed the support due to lack of access to services and social injustice.
Humanity & Inclusion's 61-person team works in Sierra Leone to ensure access to education for all, including children with disabilities. We also work to improve the quality of life and mental health of people suffering from psychosocial distress or living with a mental health disorder.
Staff has also responded to the major health emergencies of the last decade including the Ebola outbreak and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
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Our Past Work
Humanity & Inclusion has been operating in Sierra Leone since 1996, fostering an inclusive culture and working to meet the dynamic needs of communities we serve.
Read on to learn more about our past work in Sierra Leone, and consider investing in our future
Ebola Emergency Response
In the spring of 2014, Sierra Leone was one of the countries severely affected by the Ebola epidemic. The virus infected more than 14,000 people, and killed around 4,000. When the Ebola epidemic hit Sierra Leone, Humanity & Inclusion managed a fleet of ambulances covering the entire Freetown region and prevented the virus from spreading by applying a very strict decontamination protocol.
Since the end of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, the organization has shifted its attention to rehabilitation and support for Ebola survivors.
Mother and Child Health
Humanity & Inclusion worked to reduce mortality rates and increase early detection of disability by improving mothers and children's access to healthcare in Sierra Leone.