Our Links in Sierra leone

Sierra Leone

According to the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund Sierra Leone is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world with over 80% of its population living in abject poverty. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that disabled people make up approximately ten percent of a population of 6 million, but the actual figure is likely to be much higher, due to the impact of ten years of a brutal civil war. Disabled people are often stigmatised by society and with severely limited access to education and economic opportunities in the country, it is not surprising that they constitute a significant percentage of those living in abject poverty. Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone and is a vibrant mix of colour, traffic, noise and amazing people.

The Dorothy Springer Trust

The Dorothy Springer Trust (DST) was formed in 2006 as a charity that aims to help disabled young people to support themselves and their families through skilled employment. DST also actively lobbies for the rights of disabled young people with the government. The first of the DST students has graduated in 2011 and the second batch have started their training.

For the latest DST newsletter please click here.

Regent Road Baptist Church

Regent Road Baptist Church was founded in 1792 and is the oldest Baptist Church in Africa. We have been establishing links with the church and last year a group of 11 people from EBC visited and worked with the church.

As EBC plans to re-develop the church building to accomodate the growing congregation, EBC is looking at helping the Regent Road Baptist Church build a new church in Tombo. To read more about this plan, click here.