Sierra leone

It is now just over a week since a devastating mudslide swept through some of the poorest communities in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Over 500 people have been confirmed to have died, while over 3,000 people remain missing. Those who have survived have lost everything, and are in a deep state of trauma. Our local staff in Freetown were able to respond within hours of the mudslide, helping in the immediate relief efforts. By last Friday, they had reached 260 families with emergency supplies of food, water and shelter. These images from the team show the impact of the mudslide, and what they are doing to help the most vulnerable.  

Learn about the Ebola virus, how ActionAid responded to the Ebola virus crisis in West Africa 2014-16, and how we helped during the 2019 Ebola outbreak in DRC.

ActionAid has worked in Sierra Leone since 1988. We helped rebuild lives after the civil war, responded to the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014-15 and we're providing emergency aid after mudslides in August 2017.

15 million people in the developing world today survive by salvaging waste. Many of them are children. We lift the lid on the worldwide scandal of young kids forced to scavenge on rubbish dumps to survive.

As the Ebola outbreak extends its grip on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, global concern has escalated, especially now that nations including the USA and Spain have reported some sporadic Ebola cases. It's time to dispel some myths about the virus.