Certain events in our lives are so momentous that we shall always remember where we were and what we did when those events occurred. Many of us will surely remember where we were in the early hours of 14 August 2017, when we received the news of the mudslide in Regent. It turned out to be one of the worst natural disaster in Africa in recent years, and there is no doubt that the impact on the individuals affected and on the community was both dramatic and profound.

By Harriet Mason, Communications Officer, UNICEF Sierra Leone

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – After a 20-minute-walk up a steep rocky path in the Dwarzark community, I arrived at the new home of Foday and Mamiesia Kallon and their 14-month-old son. It’s a fresh start following the tragic events of 14 August 2017 when flooding and a landslide killed at least 500 people in Freetown, and swept away part of the Kallon’s family home and all their belongings.

Women’s political participation calls for a much more robust approach that will not only make women’s voices heard but also strategically position women in political leadership and public decision-making roles.

By Harriet Mason, Communications Officer with UNICEF Sierra Leone

KORTUHUN, Sierra Leone – Zainab Conteh and her team are on a mission to improve the quality of data received from health facilities in Bombali district, northern Sierra Leone.

By Harriet Mason, Communications Officer with UNICEF Sierra Leone

WATERLOO, Sierra Leone – As I stepped into the house in a suburb of Waterloo Town, western Sierra Leone, something immediately caught my eye – the broad smile on the face of a 13-year-old boy sitting in a wheelchair and beckoning me to sit beside him.

Ibrahim Tarawallie was born with some disabilities and has been dependent on his family to move around the house and look after him. “Carrying him has become tough because he is now older and heavier,” said his mother Elizabeth.