Our History

Beginnings in education and community development (1985)

ChildFund’s work in Sierra Leone began on June 1, 1985, with its earliest programs focused primarily on primary education and school infrastructure. These initial interventions laid the foundation for long-term engagement, soon expanding to include health services, youth development initiatives, food security programs, and income-generating projects, the latter accompanied by small loans to support budding entrepreneurs and small business ventures.

Staying through the civil war (1991–2002)

In 1991, Sierra Leone was plunged into a decade-long civil conflict that brought unprecedented humanitarian challenges. ChildFund chose to remain in the country, shifting its focus toward emergency assistance and expanding its reach to deliver child protection and community-based psychosocial support.

During this period, ChildFund also extended its work across borders, providing psycho-social services in refugee camps in Guinea and establishing child-friendly spaces in Kambia District and beyond.

Throughout the war years, the organization concentrated on:

  • Welfare services and input supply for children in safe spaces.
  • Reintegration programs in partnership with the National Commission for Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration (NCDDR).
  • Skills training and employment creation for ex-combatants and youth.
  • Specialized support for sexually abused girls and other vulnerable groups.
ChildFund’s response to the August 14, 2017 mudslide that claimed over 1,141 lives and displaced some 5,905 people.

Supporting recovery and resilience after the war (2002)

Following the end of the war in 2002, ChildFund maintained its commitment to recovery and resilience building. In the years that followed, the organization played a critical role in national emergency responses, including:

  • The 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak.
  • The 2017 Freetown mudslide.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic.

In each of these crises, ChildFund combined immediate relief with long-term recovery strategies, staying true to its mission of protecting and uplifting children, families, and communities across Sierra Leone.

Child sponsorship program begins (1990s)

ChildFund started its child sponsorship program, connecting children directly to sponsors from The United States of America, in the early 1990s, but activities were disrupted by the civil war in 1996, leading to the transfer of sponsorship assets to ChildFund Guinea.

Mick Foley (Mankind), renowned wrestler and sponsor, visiting sponsored children in Sierra Leone in 2008.

Child sponsorship program (2000s to date)

 In 2005, after the war was declared over, ChildFund relaunched its child sponsorship program in Koinadugu District. What began as a commitment to individual children has evolved into an effort that strengthens whole communities. In recent years, the program has grown significantly, with:

  • Increased child enrollment and sponsorship. As of June 2025, a total of 16,456 children were enrolled in our sponsorship program—7,850 girls and 8,606 boys. Of these, 10,149 children (61.67%) (5,436 girls and 4,713 boys) were directly sponsored.
  • Expansion to Bombali and Kailahun districts.
  • Programs reaching over 2.5 million children and their families annually, through various child-focused development programs.
  • Working with 348+ communities in 12 districts.
  • Working with 3 Local Partners in Bombali, Kailahun, Koinadugu and Falaba districts.
  • Working with over 10 technical partners.
  • Implemented over 10 grant-funded projects in the past decade.
  • Ongoing programs in education, early childhood development, livelihoods and food security, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection, environmental sustainability, emergency response and advocacy.