Assistance Where it Matters Most
Our Commitment to Peace, Justice, and Opportunity in Sierra Leone

Without some form of intervention to break the cycle of poverty, a child born in a poor region of the world is unlikely to have access to formal education, is likely to be impoverished, and will probably not live beyond his or her forties.

This is certainly true in Sierra Leone's Koinadugu district, the poorest region in one of the world's poorest countries. People there have the lowest access to clean water, sanitation and health services. There is no electricity and the roads linking villages are battered and difficult to travel. Malnutrition and child mortality are common.

The student population in Koinadugu exceeds 50,000 children. Yet, many of these students (especially girls) are unable to attend school due to the extreme poverty of their families, or because of their responsibilities around the home and farm. Many children have been orphaned by disease and war, leaving extended family members responsible for providing for their basic needs.


This reality was both cause and effect of the horrific civil conflict Sierra Leoneans endured between 1991 and 2002. The conflict was characterized by child abduction (i.e. child soldiers), rape, amputations and other methods of torture that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and displaced a third of the population.

CAUSE Canada stayed in Sierra Leone during this dangerous time, operating refugee camps and feeding programs, while providing psycho-social support for those traumatized by the war.

Following the restoration of peace, CAUSE Canada worked intensively to integrate child soldiers and amputees back into their communities, and developed initiatives to help children and adults begin to recover from the war. Examples of these programs include: Assistance Program for Female Victims of War, HIV/AIDS Youth Life Skill Training, Projects for War Disabled People, and Post-War School Reconstruction.

Eight years and two peaceful elections later, Sierra Leone is ready to plan for its future. And CAUSE Kids is a child sponsorship program designed to make that future a great one... one child at a time.