EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It is with profoundest humility that I bring you greetings on behalf of the poor, powerless, marginalized, deprived, and traumatized people of Sierra Leone, whom we seek to serve. I also wish to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all our previous donors, including Global Humanitarian Funds, MOSS, SDII, GEF, Child Fund International, Action Aid, World Vision International, DFID, UNWOMEN, UNOPS, UNICEF, the UN Peace Building Funds, and UNDP, for their generous grants and technical assistance over the years in various projects and sectors of intervention.

By way of introduction, our entity is called SERVE SIERRA LEONE (abbreviated as SERVE SL), a nonprofit National NGO operating nationwide in Sierra Leone. SERVE SL was established in 2010 as a community-level organization during a critical period when our nation had just emerged from the ashes of a devastating decade-long civil war. These conflicts resulted in the deaths of approximately 250,000 people, displaced and traumatized millions, damaged vital infrastructure and the fragile economy, further exacerbated multi-dimensional poverty and national suffering. Following the end of the civil war in 2002, the country was confronted with the monumental task of building national cohesion, reconstructing decimated infrastructure, reviving shattered governance machinery, fixing the collapsed economy, and rebuilding the social fabric of a deeply traumatized population

Recognizing the urgent need for structured intervention, SERVE SL spent four years as a community-level organization deeply immersed in building networks with community stakeholders and understanding the development gaps and barriers impeding community development, vertically and horizontally. In 2014 SERVE SL was formally incorporated as a national NGO and has over the years delivered impactful and sustainable turnkey projects across different sectors, including but not limited to poverty eradication, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, increased access to affordable quality education, safe drinking water, improved primary healthcare services, and clean renewable energy, amongst others.

Beyond the legacy of the civil war, Sierra Leone’s socio-economic development and nation-building efforts are continuously undermined by internal and external shocks inclusive recurring pandemics (the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19).Post-pandemic recovery has been hampered existing macro-fiscal vulnerabilities, worsening public debt burden, huge international trade deficits, high inflation and record high currency depreciation. These factors have depressed economic activity, triggering a severe cost-of-living crisis and increasing poverty levels

Although governance has been decentralized since 2004, thousands of communities remain tightly gripped by multi-dimensional poverty. According to the 2025 UNDP Human Development Index and the World Hunger Index, Sierra Leone is ranked 185 out of 193 and 108 out of 123 countries in the world respectively. This translates to Sierra Leone being the 8th poorest and the 15th hungriest country in the world. Whilst UNFPA 2023 reports show maternal mortality to be 354 per 100,000 live births and child mortality to be 104 per 1,000 live births. Despite all efforts made in the health sector, Sierra Leone still has the highest under-five mortality rate in the world, with 70% of mortality occurring in the age group of 1-59 months. These deaths are mainly from preventable and treatable causes such as malaria, pneumonia, measles, and tetanus due to a lack of access to quality healthcare services (Doctors of the World 2023 report). Also, a 2022 report by the National Institutes of Health places Sierra Leone amongst the top ten countries with the highest rates of teenage pregnancies. The rate stands at 101 per 1000 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years, meaning that 21% to 34% of young girls begin childbearing or become pregnant during their teenage years. The country also suffers from poor adolescent reproductive sexual health indicators, with 40% of maternal deaths in the country occurring amongst teenage pregnant girls. The Sierra Leone health sector is deplorable, and the provision of affordable quality primary healthcare services stands at a crossroads.  Additionally, access to safe drinking water is limited; only 23% of households nationwide have access to safe drinking water at their homes, whilst roughly 57% of the 8.7 million people rely on unsafe water sources. Unsafe water is the cause of 30% of the nation’s health issues in the country (MSF/National Health Institute/UNICEF 2023 report). The appalling health situation in the country necessitates more investments to build new health care delivery infrastructure, repurpose old health facilities, and strengthen the health sector through the provision of state-of-the-art machinery, equipment, tools, materials, technology, and well-trained medical personnel with specializations in different medical fields.

Moreover, the 2024 Gender Inequality Index ranks Sierra Leone 157 out of 164 countries, reflecting that socio-economic inequalities of gender are pervasive problem. Prevailing gender and social norms limit opportunities for women and girls, impacting their health, well-being, and progress. An estimated 61% of women aged 15-49 have experienced gender-based violence, but only 40% have reported ever seeking help. In 2021, UNICEF reported that Sierra Leone is home to 800,000 married girls; of this amount, 400,000 were married before the age of 15. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) perpetrated against women and young girls’ remains a public health crisis. The gender inequality gap in education and employment is widening. Gender inequality in education showcases men having a higher literacy rate [56-58%] compared to women [38-41%] as indicated by the 2024 World Bank Development Indicators. The wider gender gap in education is due to the fact that only about 9.5% of women achieve a secondary level education or higher, compared to roughly 20% of men. Whilst inequalities in formal employment space shows women tiny fraction of formal, skilled, and professional jobs, with only 4% in skilled labor and 3% in professional fields (UNDP 2026). The gender inequality gap is worse for women with disabilities, first because they face barriers limiting women’s growth, and second because of low support for women with disabilities.

The Sierra Leone education sector needs total reform, ranging from having gender-responsive education policies and programs to providing affordable and equitable access to quality education. This includes constructing or repurposing new and old schools, providing energy and water in schools, building the capacity of educators with trending teaching skills, and supplying schools with upgraded tools, materials, machines, technology, and innovation that improve teaching and learning outcomes.

Furthermore, Sierra Leone also suffers from a huge energy deficiency, with only 30%-36% of the population in the country having access to electricity. About 55% of urban households have electricity, compared to less than 5% in rural areas. More than 10,000 small and medium enterprises, 5,120 schools, 1,200 peripheral health units, and 5 million people across 1 million households in off-grid communities suffer from energy poverty. The lack of access to sustainable energy in off-grid communities is a limiting factor affecting enterprise development, constraining manufacturing and production, hampering the full functioning of schools, hospitals, and technical vocational institutes, threatening food security, and lowering the standard of living.

However, Sierra Leone is the third most vulnerable country to climate impacts. Climate change problems in Sierra Leone have affected all sectors and still pose a threat to reverse gains made in education, agriculture and food security, energy and water supply, health and sanitation, disaster management and peace-building, production and manufacturing, trade, industry and commerce, human security, and infrastructural development. Climate change is now more of an emergency than a problem and a crisis to sustainable development.

Lastly, and more importantly, despite our laudable past achievements and despite the factor that we are a pivotal player in the NGO sector, with highly experienced board and dedicated management known for delivering impactful and sustainable interventions in an accountable and transparent manner. We are equally faced with the undeniable fact that Sierra Leone’s economic recovery and development stand at a crossroads, the road ahead is tough and difficult, with many unsolved development gaps competing with emerging challenges in a resource constrained environment. Consequently, SERVE SL alone cannot shoulder these immense responsibilities alone. We therefore, earnestly and urgently appeal to donor organizations, philanthropic groups, family foundations, people of good will, and development partners to support our work by providing grants (cash and in-kind), technical assistance, and capacity building. This support will enable us to deliver interventions tailored to the urgent needs of the targeted beneficiary communities. The time to invest in the economic recovery and sustainable development future of Sierra Leone and its people is now, , and there could be no better time than.

Mission Statement

SERVE SL is dedicated to improve the lives, living standards, guarantee a secured and prosperous future of poor, powerless, traumatized people and deprived communities   across Sierra Leone through partnership with donors and stakeholders for delivery of measurable and well-structured sustainable development interventions that will mitigate poverty, eradicate hunger, improve infrastructural development, and increase access to safe drinking water, address critical gaps in healthcare, education, and energy access, while promoting gender equality, good governance, human rights, climate resilience, dignified livelihoods, human security, human capital development and foster a society where everyone can live with dignity and thrive.

Vision Statement

SERVE SL envisions a prosperous and progressive nation (i.e. Sierra Leone)  with better living standards where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of dignity, free from poverty, save from hunger and preventable killer diseases, women and girls are equally empowered to reach their full potential through equal access to quality education, high market in demand technical and vocational skills training, communities are resilient and self-sufficient to overcome climate change impacts and economic instability. Ultimately, SERVE SL strives to building a better Sierra Leone where dividends of peace and prosperity are shared by all, leaving no one behind.

PREVIOUS PROGRAMS INTERVENTION IMPACTS AND GAINS MADE

Generally, the impacts of our programs across different sectors are enormous, profound and sustainable.  Highlighted below are cross sections of results achieved and impacts made across different sectors of intervention from 2014 to 2026 with support from different donors partners inclusive Child Fund International, World Bank, UNDP,UNOPS,UNWOMEN,Islamic Development Bank, African Development Bank,GEF, World Vision International, Global Humanitarian Funds, Models of Success and Sustainability, Sustainable Development Initiative Institute, Private Philantropists,Foundations, Good Will People of African Descent, Sierra Leonean nationals in Diaspora and  Government of Sierra Leone amongst others.

 Impacts and Gains Made through Poverty Reduction Interventions: 

Through our poverty reduction program we have targeted and supported  36,100 women and girls drawn from the lowest poverty strata inclusive Ebola related widows, women under difficult economic circumstances, women and young girls living with HIV/Aids, out of school girls, teenage mothers, disabled women,ex-female convicts, illiterate women, bankable poor women and female commercial sex workers, with skills training in business management, provide them with startup grants, link them to financial and insurance services will enable them to start,grow,expand,owned and control thriving new businesses that brought income and financial independence. Today, more than 5600 previous female commercial sex workers recruited and supported have abandoned commercial sex trade, are now owners of thriving businesses making decent living. More than 7400 of girls that were early dropout of schools were able to return and complete their secondary schooling after three years of operating successful business and more than 4000 of them were able to enrolled and graduated from our Second Chance Education Initiative. Generally, project impact assessment survey reports confirm that 95% of the 36,100 poverty stricken women and girls targeted and supported by our poverty mitigation interventions since 2014 and right through 2024 are found to be owners of thriving businesses, they are economically self-relied and self-sufficient, and they making significant contributions in addressing key household welfare demands inclusive renting safe housing, purchasing protective clothes, pay tuition fees and medical bills, providing nutritious meal, making savings and contributing to community development funds.

Impacts and Gains Made in Providing Affordable Quality Education, Technical and Vocational Skills Training

By the time your finish reading this article, more than 85,520 students are receiving quality education through the schools, libraries, art theaters, science and computer laboratories we have constructed,repurposed,equiped and operationalized. We also reinforced quality teaching delivery and learning by providing school teachers and educators in technical and vocational institutes with upgraded skills training on trending global education and teaching best practices, and provided schools with sufficient up to date teaching and learning materials. Also, through our Second Chance Education Initiative, this was specifically designed to provide adult education for women, girls and young people that are victims of early school drop-outs, have successfully targeted and trained 32,450 women and girls—with high-demand vocational skills. . Remarkably, over 95% of these young women have secured and retained gainful employment, achieving economic self-reliance and self-sufficiency

Impacts and Gains Made in Increasing Access to Safe Drinking Water,

Also, in the WASH sector, we have supported many schools and village communities deprived of access to safe drinking water, suffers from deplorable sanitation and poor hygiene through supporting construction and repurposing of solar powered borehole water wells, hand-dug wells, ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines, and waste collection points, with beneficiary communities trained in routine waste disposal best practices. Today, more than 250,000 school children and community members have perennial access to affordable, safe drinking water and live in well-sanitized environments. Illnesses stemming from unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and deplorable hygiene are progressively being eliminated. Furthermore, our school-based menstrual hygiene education, coupled with the construction of specialized and well equipped special changing rooms for pubescent girls, has drastically reduced menstrual-based absenteeism by increasing knowledge of menstrual management and ensuring personal privacy

Impacts and Gains Made in agriculture, food sufficiency and nutritional security.

Through our agricultural and food security interventions, we have empowered more than 38,000 stallholder farmers. We have provided smallholder farmers with upgraded skills training, insights into local and global farming /marketing trends, support them with crops that are pest resistant and climate resilient, as well as provided farmers with modern tools, machinery, technology, science, innovation and efficient transport mechanisms that increase productivity, enhance post-harvest procession, value addition, increase shelf life and marketing. These efforts have improved household food security, mitigated post-harvest losses, increased farmers’ incomes, and progressively eliminated hunger and malnutrition at the household and community levels.

Impacts and Gains Made in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Recognizing that Sierra Leone is currently the third most vulnerable country globally to climate change impacts, our environmental interventions are crucial. We have improved local knowledge regarding environmental and biodiversity conservation best practices. Additionally, we have supported communities in planting over 1.6 million economic and ecological trees, which have restored depleted wetlands, woodlands, forests, mangroves, and water bodies. This has led to improved ecosystem services, secured animal habitats, and created a balanced ecosystem capable of preserving food supplies for now and future generations. Again, our intervention that promote access of poor people to sustainable clean energy sourced from solar energy and biogas has further reinforced gains made in environmental conservation efforts whilst building local resilience capacities. Our clean energy intervention has supported many smallholder farmers to improve agricultural productivity, value addition and preservation.

Impacts and Gains Made in Human Rights

More importantly, our relentless advocacy in human rights, social justice, gender equity, and good governance has yielded tangible policy shifts. Human rights awareness has increased, and more citizens are exercising their fundamental rights. Due to sustained pressure from us and other civil society organizations, gender equality is now enshrined as a working government policy, with provision for save 30% quota for women in elective positions, cabinet appointments, and other developmental sectors. Furthermore, more young people are being elected or appointed to key positions in governance. We have also trained communities to hold public officials accountable, directly resulting in improved local service delivery.

Impacts and Gains Made in General Infrastructure

We have supported the rehabilitation and repurposing of community feeder roads that linked farmers to market and agribusiness marketers to farms. We have also supported the construction and repurposing of critical infrastructure that promote tourism, hospitality, sports and entertainments

Thematic Programs, Goals and Objectives

    THEMATIC PROGRAMS

  • Poverty Reduction Through Capacity Building and Enterprise Development
  • Increasing Access to Affordable Quality Education, Technical & Vocational Skills Training
  • Improving Access to Safe Drinking Water, Better Sanitation and Hygiene Environments
  • Promoting Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Resilient Food Systems
  • Enhancing Community Resilience and Response Capacity to Climate Change
  • Connecting Off-Grid Communities to Renewable Clean Energy
  • Improving Access to Affordable and Sustainable Quality Primary Health Care Services
  • Advancing Human Rights, Rule of law,Democracy,Good Governance and Gender Equity
  • Enhancing Infrastructural Development for Financial Prosperity and Social Progression
  • Poverty Reduction Through Capacity Building and Enterprise Development

Goal: To uplift 542,000 people from poverty through skills training, business support, and financial services by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To provide high-demand skills training to 542,000 individuals to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial capabilities.
  • To distribute startup grants and offer continuous business development support to facilitate the launch and growth of micro-enterprises.
  • To link beneficiaries with insurance products and financial service providers to secure assets and expand business operations.
  •   To ensure 542,000 beneficiaries achieve economic self-reliance and own thriving businesses by 2036.
  • Increasing Access to Affordable Quality Education, Technical & Vocational Skills Training

Goal: To enable 317,000 vulnerable children and youth to access quality education and vocational training by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To enroll 317,000 vulnerable children, dropouts, and marginalized girls in affordable, inclusive, and quality primary and secondary education.
  • To provide technical and vocational skills training focused on high-demand marketable skills to out-of-school youth.
  •   To facilitate lifelong learning opportunities that lead to certification or gainful employment.
  •   To ensure the successful completion of primary or secondary education, or vocational courses, for all targeted beneficiaries by 2036.
  • Improving Access to Safe Drinking Water, Better Sanitation and Hygiene Environments

Goal: To enable 650,000 underprivileged people to access safe water and improved hygiene by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To establish perennial safe drinking water systems for 650,000 underprivileged women, men, and school children in marginalized communities.
  •   To implement education programs that promotes the adoption of best hygiene behavioral practices.
  •   To create and maintain well-sanitized, hygiene-friendly environments in schools and communities.
  • To provide menstrual hygiene management education to reduce school absenteeism among pubescent girls by 2036.
  • Promoting Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Resilient Food Systems

GOAL: To build the capacity of 371,000 smallholder farmers to increase productivity value addition and transition to export-oriented agriculture by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To train 371,000 smallholder farmers in sustainable agricultural best practices to increase productivity by 90%.
  • To implement post-harvest management technologies to reduce post-harvest losses by 90%.
  • To provide facilities, machineries, tools, materials and technology that promote post-harvest processing, value addition, preservation, storage and marketing finished agricultural products.
  • To facilitate the transition from subsistence farming to export-oriented agriculture to increase farmers’ income.
  • To build resilient food systems those complement local food security and ensure nutritional sufficiency by 2036.
  • Enhancing Community Resilience and Response Capacity to Climate Change

Goal: To equip 281,000 people with environmental governance skills and restore depleted ecosystems by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To train 281,000 community members in environmental governance and biodiversity conservation.
  • To engage communities in the afforestation and reclamation of 173,000 hectares of depleted land and marine environments.
  • To restore at least 30% of depleted landscapes, freshwater bodies, forests, and marine habitats by 2036
  • To enhance ecosystem services, maintain balanced ecosystems, and support food production through high carbon sequestration activities.
  • Connecting Off-Grid Communities to Renewable Clean Energy

Goal: To improve access to affordable and equitable renewable energy for 2.9 million people by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To construct solar energy stations in off-grid communities to provide reliable power.
  •   To distribute biogas technology and climate-friendly, flameless cooking stoves to local households.
  •   To provide affordable renewable energy solutions to 2.9 million people across 470,000 households.
  • To reduce reliance on traditional biomass fuels and improve energy equity in 191 communities by 2036.
  • Improving Access to Affordable and Sustainable Quality Primary Health Care Services

Goal: To increase healthcare access for 461,000 people and improve health outcomes by 2036.

Specific Objectives

  • To increase access to affordable, equitable, and quality primary healthcare services for 461,000 underprivileged people.
  •   To reduce maternal and child mortality rates by 50% through improved service delivery.
  • To mitigate sexually transmitted infections and improve reproductive and sexual health among adolescents.
  • To enhance public safety and human security, with the aim of increasing life expectancy rates by 40% by 2036.
  • Advancing Human Rights, Rule of Law, Democracy, Good Governance and Gender Equity

Goal: To promote human rights and increase the participation of marginalized groups in governance to 60% by 2036.

Specific Objectives:

  • To support programs and initiatives that defends the fundamental rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, and minority groups.
  • To champion nationwide campaigns that foster participatory democracy and transparent, accountable governance.
  • To increase the participation of women, youth, and minority groups in democratic and political processes.
  •   To raise the representation of marginalized groups in key decision-making positions at all governance levels to 60% by 2036.
  • Enhancing Infrastructural Development for Financial Prosperity and Social Progression

GOAL: To revitalize infrastructure to support economic diversification and social development by 2036.

Specific Objectives

*   To rehabilitate and improve infrastructure in tourism, transport, hospitality, sports, entertainment, and commerce.

*   To transform deplorable national assets into economically productive assets to generate income and employment.

*   To revitalize and diversify the economy through strategic infrastructural investments.

*   To improve social development indicators by 38% by 2036 through enhanced infrastructure.

                                                           Organization’s Key Activities

  • Direct Services
  • Advocacy
  • Awareness Raising
  • Capacity Building and Technical Assistance 
  • Community Mobilizing and Organizing
  • Monitoring and Reporting, 
  • Learning, Training, and Events 
  • Research, Documentation and Publications, 
  • Litigation
  • New Media and Technology

SERVE SIERRA LEONE

SERVE SIERRA LEONE

Motto: Making a better Sierra Leone with equal rights and opportunities for everyone.

                                           Address: 1Kallon Drive,Mendewa  Section, Bo City, Kakua Chiefdom, Bo District.

                                           Contacts: www.servesierraleone.org   Mobile phone+23278241319

                                           Emails:  chiefexecutiveofficer@servesierraleone.org  admin@servesierraleone.org 

                                           Social Media: www.facebook.com/servesierraleone. www.linkedin.com/servesierra leone