Binta's Angels Network

Country Background Information

Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic in West Africa. The country is emerging from a civil war that lasted for almost 11 years and devastated much of the country. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands more mutilated, including women and children. The war also destroyed almost all infrastructure and institutions within the country, including educational facilities, which has led to an increased level of illiteracy. The effect on children has been very sever, leaving most of them with mental syndromes such as post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

At this moment, Sierra Leone is classed as the poorest country in the world by the UN human development standards.

Binta's Angels Network Background Information

The post-war situation in Sierra Leone and its general impact on children is a cause for concern for most people, especially Sierra Leoneans living within and those living abroad. The country is gripped by poverty, and the lack of prospects for the future has become a day to day struggle for a large number of people. The lucky few that have escaped such situations within the country now live in the USA, UK and the Netherlands, forming strong communities in the Diaspora. However, while they experience the safety and higher standard of living that their new homes could offer, they uphold a clash in their minds as they think of the relatives and friends that are left back in Sierra Leone. This has been the situation for the pioneer of BAN, Binta Jalloh, and the basis that led her to organize a group of friends, philanthropists, who came together to set up the organization on the 20th of December 2006. The goal and focus of Binta is to help especially children in her home country to get better lives for the future.

Our Activities

The main focus of BAN is to improve the educational system for children in the Koinadugu District by renovating old schools and building new ones to fit both local and national standards. The organization will look for suitable staff and volunteers to give a hand to the local community.

Sierra Leone has limited man-power and financial resources to support schools and general educational facilities in every corner of the country. For this reason, there is need to render external assistance, and at the same time to prioritize. At this moment we are active in the North of Sierra Leone, around the city of Kabala in Koinadugu district. We hope to bring necessary structure and better conditions as well as presenting the feeling of importance to the children regarding their future. In parallel to this, we also need to address the cases of child trauma and present the atmosphere of re-integration of the children into normal society. Both of these projects are being developed and we plan to do the first steps towards executing them by the end of 2009