Population: 6,017,643
Rural population (as % of total population): 63
Life expectancy (years): 37
Gross national income per capita (Ł): 83
Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49): 7
Prevalence of HIV, female (% of population ages 15-49): No data available
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 166

Statistics from: http://devdata.worldbank.org/data-query/

Following decades of poor governance and ten years of civil war, Sierra Leone's economy and social infrastructure are in dire condition. HIV prevalence remains hard to gauge but concern is growing that the relatively low prevalence rates may in fact be grossly underestimated. Whilst Sierra Leone's economy struggles to rebuild itself, the issue of HIV/AIDS prevention must compete against more imminent survival issues, such as unstable housing, inadequate nutrition and threats to personal safety. In addition, youth exclusion is increasingly being recognised as central to the developmental challenges facing the country.

The Response:

SPW has been invited by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) to develop an SPW Peer Education Programme that will tackle youth exclusion and HIV/AIDS among young people and serve as a replicable model for tackling youth exclusion and HIV/AIDS nationwide. The programme is being specifically designed to serve as a resource for other organisations already targeting youth but less experienced in rural outreach.

Programme Objectives:

SPW Sierra Leone’s programme will launch in September 2005, designed to:

Train 160 young adults (aged 18-28) from Sierra Leone as volunteer Peer Educators and advocates for adolescent health
Empower approximately 50,000 rural youth to make and act upon informed choices regarding their health, and livelihoods through weekly Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health (ASRH) classes, life skills education, and participatory awareness-raising events.
Increase knowledge and influence attitudes on HIV, AIDS and ASRH issues among more than 25,000 community members, through workshops, awareness-raising festivals and mass-media campaigns.
Build the capacity of rural schools, health clinics, Community Based Organisations and local NGOs to provide improved youth services and youth-focused health education.
Build the capacity of the MYS and other centrally based institutions to develop consistent links and outreach to rural areas through the SPW Peer Educators