Sierra Leone

Through its groundbreaking Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign, The Carter Center partners with city leaders worldwide to raise awareness about women’s right to access information and to help cities reach women with valuable information and essential municipal services.  

Access to this information empowers women with a stronger voice, enabling them to participate in public life, utilize public services, and make more informed decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. In Sierra Leone, the project has partnered with the city of Freetown. 

Emerging from a brutal civil war that ended in 2002, Sierra Leone has made significant strides in reforming its legal, governance, and security structure. Still, substantial challenges remain, including: 

• High rates of sexual and gender-based violence, and lack of data about it 

• Underrepresentation of women in various sectors 

• Lack of alternative sentencing for minor offenses and effective decriminalization efforts 

• Barriers to accessing information held by public authorities 

Our Work and Methods 
Through our Rule of Law Program, the Center is committed to: 

• Strengthening equitable access to justice 

• Increasing women’s professional participation in the justice sector 

• Combatting sexual and gender-based violence through social accountability 

• Harmonizing efforts to decriminalize poverty 

• Ensuring improved access to government-held information 

Impacts 

• Informed the justice sector’s implementation of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment plans 

• Trained judicial personnel and legal professionals on gender issues 

• Co-developed a system to improve support and case management for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence 

• Helped stakeholders develop solutions for the barriers in accessing public information 

The Carter Center initially became a force for peace in the war-torn nation of Sierra Leone starting in May 2002, when it observed the first presidential and parliamentary elections since the end of the country’s devastating civil war.  

A peaceful transition of power in Sierra Leone offered hope to the rest of conflict-ridden West Africa. 

At the invitation of the National Election Commission, we’ve observed subsequent elections in 2007, 2012, 2018, and 2023. 

More information about all of these elections is available in our publications section. 

Like many low- and middle-income countries, Sierra Leone faces serious challenges in addressing mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. Years of limited resources, stigma, and a shortage of trained mental health professionals have left a significant gap in access to care. Making matters worse are the lasting effects of the civil war, the Ebola epidemic, and other public health crises. 

Our Work and Methods 
Through the Center’s Mental Health Program in Sierra Leone, we work with the Ministry of Health and other partnersto strengthen mental health systems, expand local capacity, and support government-led strategies to make quality mental health care accessible to everyone. 

We do this by: 

• Training and supervising mental health clinicians 

• Supporting the Ministry of Health in policy development 

• Carrying out research and providing input to help shape priorities, expand access, and improve care 

Impacts 

• Built stronger relationships with government, development, and civil society partners 

• Supported training and follow-up supervision at several health facilities 

• Highlighted needs for more structure and to better equip clinicians and facilities 

• Partnered with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to conduct national studies 

• Offered input on the national mental health policy and strategic plan