Located in Western Africa and comprising four main regions, coastal swamp, the interior plateau, the Sierra Leone Peninsula, and thickly forested mountains, Sierra Leone is a mid-sized country with a recent tragic past. Its civil war, which lasted for over a decade, resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and over 2.5 million displaced people. As the war ended only in 2002, the country is still recovering from such a massive shock. Sierra Leone faces many challenges, the most prominent being a poverty rate of over 60% of the population. Additionally, the country faces issues with high levels of illiteracy, government corruption, and physical infrastructure that has yet to be repaired after the brutal fighting during the war.
Sierra Leone
8.1
Population 2021
(Millions)
0.45
HDI Score
2019 (Max. 1)
53.0
SDG Score
2020-2021
(Max. 100)
0.64
Gender Inequality
Index Score
(Max. 1)
N/A
Internet Inclusivity
Index 2022
(100 countries)
Sources: 1. World Bank (2021), 2. UNDP (2019), 3. Sustainable Development Report (2021), 4. UNDP (2019), 5. Economist Impact (2022).
Overview
Projects
Assessing Africa’s Borderlands Informal Social Protection Mechanisms in Liberia and Sierra Leone
- Liberia, Sierra Leone,
- May - November 2022
- P3 - Resilient Livelihoods and Ecosystems
This study, supported by the UNDP’s Country Offices in Liberia and Sierra Leone, aimed to develop a deep understanding of the existing informal social protection mechanisms and community development needs in the borderlands of Sierra Leone and Liberia. DPA adopted an inductive ethnographic approach consisting of qualitative methods complemented with quantitative data collection to identify borderland community needs and trends, covariate shocks faced and coping mechanisms, as well as the inclusion and exclusion factors. The outputs and findings of the study informed government and UNDP programmatic interventions aimed at strengthening the resilience of these communities.
Landscape Mapping and Review of Technology-based Interventions to Mitigate Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
- Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda,
- July 2022- January 2023
- P4 - Data Feminism
DPA, in collaboration with UNICEF and UNFPA, conducted a comprehensive landscape mapping of key technology-based interventions to mitigate child-marriage and FGM through empowerment of girls and to review the digital solutions and tools used in these interventions, their effectiveness and potential areas for improvement in 13 countries in Africa and Asia. The methodology proposed by DPA was based on an analysis that integrated both quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as traditional and non-traditional data sources collected at different stages of the study, underpinned by a participatory approach involving UNICEF, UNFPA and other stakeholders that provided feedback and input throughout the entire project.
Capturing the Socioeconomic and Cultural Drivers of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone
- Sierra Leone,
- January - June 2022
- P4 - Data Feminism
In partnership with UNDP Sierra Leone, this project studied the prevalence, incidence, trends and patterns of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) within Sierra Leone via a parallel, mixed-methods methodology. Through analysis into the root causes of SGBV, the report sought to provide evidence that would form the basis for targeted policy recommendations to prevent and respond to this phenomenon through a unified national response. Close collaboration with the Sierra Leonean government generated recommendations that can guide the development of policies and programs to promote the attainment of the highest level of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all people; as well as policies targeting the reduction of incidence of HIV, GBV prevention, and survivor support services.
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