Market Street in front of the street children project

Sierra Leone

Our work there at a glance:

  • Support for children's hospital in Freetown
  • Running a shelter for street children
  • Skill Support (financial support for training)
  • Deployment of medical staff and social workers
  • Further training of local staff
  • Hygiene project in the slums

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

View all project reports

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.

There are huge rubbish dumps in the slums of Freetown - children and pigs forage together.
There are huge rubbish dumps in the slums of Freetown - children and pigs forage together.

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

By running a shelter for street children, we ensure that those affected receive psychosocial and other support through us. There are school-like classes, the children can participate in the sports and creative programme, get regular meals and a safe place to sleep, and receive medical care, if needed. The support culminates in the re-placement of the children with their families and schools.

Hygiene project

Hygiene project

We have installed a hygiene project in the slums of Freetown. Cap Anamur started the hygiene project as a preventive measure during the Ebola epidemic and it is still running today. A total of ten toilet blocks there are cleaned and stocked with hygiene products three to four times a day by 26 local staff. About 2,000 people visit these toilets daily.

What happens next

Five 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 2023 with technical, personnel and financial support.

Rounds: Dr Nellie Bell (2nd from left, paediatrician and deputy head of the hospital) and Dr Werner Strahl (left, former chairman of the board of Cap Anamur) at the Ola During Children's Hospital in Freetown.
Rounds: Dr Nellie Bell (2nd from left, paediatrician and deputy head of the hospital) and Dr Werner Strahl (left, former chairman of the board of Cap Anamur) at the Ola During Children's Hospital in Freetown.