Decades of underdevelopment and a brutal 11-year civil war have left Sierra Leone one of the poorest countries in the world. Ranked second to last in the UN’s human development index, Sierra Leone has the highest infant, under-five, and maternal mortality rates in the world. Infrastructure remains poor, as does the country’s public heath and education systems.

Thousands of child soldiers filled the ranks of those fighting in Sierra Leone’s civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002. At the end of the war, over 50,000 people were left dead and thousands more were maimed or injured. Human rights abuses were rampant. Two million people – over one-third of the population – were displaced. While warring groups controlled the country’s diamond revenues, per capita income dropped sharply, schools and hospitals were destroyed, and poverty increased throughout the country. Conflict in neighboring Liberia played a role in Sierra Leone’s war, and thousands of Liberian refugees spilled over the border.

The war was finally declared over in 2002 and democratic elections soon followed. UN peacekeeping troops left the country in 2005, yet Sierra Leoneans continue to struggle to rebuild their lives. Unemployment remains widespread, health crises – such as HIV/AIDS and malaria – are on the rise, and access to clean water and nutritious food remains limited. Poor and discontented youth remain a threat to the country’s fragile peace.

A wide variety of NGOs, government groups, and multilateral organizations are working on development projects to help ensure that this peace is not destroyed, but there is much work to be done to improve the lives of citizens in the country. This photo exhibit looks at the lives of people like Moinya Mambu from Taninahun Toobu Village, who have seen the wreckage of war, yet continue to believe in the possibility of a country free from violence and poverty in the future.

Biography

Britt Lake is a second-year Master’s in Public Affairs candidate in the Woodrow Wilson School, where she is focusing on international development. She has worked on development projects in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Haiti, and India. She also holds a Master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cape Town. These photos were taken between June and August 2007 in Kono and Kailahun Districts in Sierra Leone.