Poverty in Sierra Leone

By Sam Railey

Why are the farmers in this country starving when it is a major diamond supplier?

Sierra Leone

• According to the Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is the poorest country in the world

• 75% of the population lives below the poverty line• Life expectancy is only 55 years, one of the lowest in

the world• 35% of the population is literate• The richest 20% of the country controls 63.4% of the

national profit

Diamonds

• More than $125 million in diamonds is made from exports every year

• Now, in 2010, exports are up 25%• Diamond mines are major sources of

employment and diamonds are one of the country’s most important products

• So….

Why is the country so poor?• Farmers and mine workers

represent the group suffering the worst conditions, even the farmers with land can barely support their family, much less have any surplus to make money

• Many people are displaced and have no place that they can call home

• Less than half of the children of the whole country are educated, and many of these children are from the cities: the rural children have much less of a chance at an education

The Civil War• Took place between 1991 and 2002• The Revolutionary United Front

attacked villages and many innocents suffered

• Their brutal attempts to take over the government and gain diamonds resulted in refugees in the millions and tens of thousands of deaths

• The RUF even cut off limbs of the villagers they terrorized

After the War

• Now, democratic reforms are being made and the RUF has been put down

• Economic gaps still exist and many people live in unsanitary and dangerous conditions

• Ernest Bai Koroma is the president

Relief Efforts

• The United Nations and World Bank have donated money and have tried to provide relief

• Doctors Without Borders has provided medical care to the residents

• Societies such as Sierra Leone Poverty Relief raise money for many purposes, such as funding children’s education efforts

What We Can Do• Financial donations are one of the best

ways to help the people of Sierra Leone, especially when used in funding a specific purpose

• Education, especially for girls, is hard to come by and you can sponsor a child

• Many children are orphans: adoption can make a huge difference for a child’s future

• Fundraisers and awareness are very important: as Americans we take our education and safety for granted. But when we see problems such as these, something must be done

Works Cited• "Sierra Leone." CIA-The World Factbook. Central Intelligence

Agency, 10 May 2010. Web. 23 May 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sl.html>.

• "Sierra Leone." Infoplease. N.p., 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107959.html>.

• "Sierra Leone." EarthTrends. N.p., 2007. Web. 24 May 2010. <http://earthtrends.wri.org/povlinks/country/sierra-leone.php>.

• "Sierra Leone Relief." Sierra Leone Poverty Relief. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010. <http://www.sierraleonepovertyrelief.com/>.