Child Protection Sierra Leone Project #19252

Kidsave Sierra Leone: Reuniting Orphan with Family

by Kidsave International

Project Report | Jun 9, 2026
Building Stronger Futures for Reunified Families in Sierra Leone

By Development Team | Kidsave Staff

Kidsave Sierra Leone Training

At Kidsave, reunification is about more than bringing children home—it is about ensuring families have the tools and resources they need to thrive long after the reunification process is complete.

This year, our partner, Integrated Development Initiatives Sierra Leone (IDI-SL), continued investing in families and communities through a variety of training and economic empowerment programs designed to strengthen child protection and family stability.

Over 680 participants, including caregivers, community stakeholders, para-social workers, teachers, and community case monitors, took part in trainings focused on child rights and protection, foster care management, gender-based violence prevention and reporting, menstrual hygiene, financial literacy, business management, bookkeeping, and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). These trainings help equip caregivers and community members with the knowledge and skills needed to provide safe, nurturing, and supportive environments for children.

In addition to classroom-based learning, women participating in agricultural and food production initiatives received specialized on-farm agricultural training. Following the training, participants were provided with seeds and farming tools on loan, enabling them to cultivate crops and generate income while improving food security for their families.

A particularly impactful component of the program has been the Microloan Business Support Program. This year, 114 families benefited from microloans, with priority given to low-income households that had welcomed children through the reunification program. These small loans have allowed caregivers to start or expand businesses, create sustainable sources of income, and better meet the needs of the children in their care.

The results have been encouraging. Repayment rates have remained strong, averaging between 90 and 92 percent, demonstrating both the commitment of participants and the effectiveness of the program. Most importantly, many women who received microloans are now experiencing greater financial stability and are better able to support their children's education, healthcare, and daily needs.

One of the most exciting milestones came in December, when the Bank of Sierra Leone formally awarded a license to ICFP, a component of IDI, to operate as a credit-only microfinance institution. This achievement represents a significant step forward for the program and creates new opportunities to expand financial services and economic support to even more vulnerable families in the future.

Thanks to your support, families are receiving more than temporary assistance—they are gaining the knowledge, resources, and economic opportunities needed to build stable, loving homes where children can flourish. Together, we are helping ensure that reunified children not only return home but have the support they need to succeed for years to come.

Thank you for making this work possible. Your generosity is helping strengthen families, empower caregivers, and create brighter futures for children across Sierra Leone.

Session in progress at Sierra Leone

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Feb 11, 2026
New Year, Same Mission: Mohamed Kamara's Reunification Story

By Development Team | Kidsave Staff

In the quiet village of Foniko, in Galinas Chiefdom of Sierra Leone’s Pujehun District, a powerful story of hope and family has unfolded — one that reflects the heart of Kidsave’s reunification work.

For most of his childhood, young Mohamed Kamara lived at the Munje Orphanage in Bo. Life there was difficult. Food was often scarce, and Mohamed slept on a thin mattress with inadequate blankets. More than anything, he struggled with the emotional weight of feeling unwanted. Like so many children growing up without family care, he longed for a sense of belonging — someone to love him, protect him, and call him their own. Many nights, he wondered why no family had ever come for him.

Through the work of Integrated Development Initiatives–Sierra Leone (IDI), in partnership with Kidsave International, Mohamed’s story was shared beyond the walls of the orphanage. At a community hosting event organized by IDI in Blama, information about Mohamed reached someone who had been searching for him for years — his aunt.

After the passing of Mohamed’s parents, his extended family had lost contact with him entirely. When his aunt heard about Mohamed through the hosting event, she immediately recognized his story and stepped forward. With the support of IDI and Kidsave, the reunification process began.

The day Mohamed was reunited with his aunt was filled with emotion. Tears, embraces, and joy marked a moment that changed his life forever. For the first time in years, Mohamed felt safe and truly at home — surrounded by family who loved him and welcomed him as their own.

Today, Mohamed is thriving. He has returned to school, is making new friends, and is learning the skills he needs to build a brighter, more secure future. His journey is a powerful reminder of what is possible when communities come together to prioritize family-based care for children.

Mohamed’s story is not just one success — it is part of a much larger impact. In 2025 alone, 216 children like Mohamed were successfully reunified with their families. Since 2010, Kidsave and its partners have helped reunify more than 1,500 children in Sierra Leone, ensuring they grow up with love, dignity, and connection.

Because of your support, children who once felt forgotten are finding their way home. Thank you for being part of these life-changing reunifications and for helping children like Mohamed begin a new chapter — surrounded by family, hope, and opportunity.

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Oct 15, 2025
A New Beginning: Mustapha and Ansu's Journey Home

By Development Team | Kidsave Staff

For years, siblings Mustapha and Ansu Kemoh dreamed of something many of us take for granted — a family.

They were just 2 and 4 years old when they lost their parents to the 2015 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. In the chaos that followed, they were brought to the Dawar Islamic Orphanage in Hanga, where they spent nearly a decade growing up without a single visit from a relative. Life became routine — the same walls, the same schedule, the same ache of wondering if someone, somewhere, still thought of them.

That changed when Kidsave’s partner, IDI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, launched a family reunification effort in the Kenema District. The initiative aimed to return older children from orphanages back to family and community care — a monumental step for Sierra Leone’s child welfare system and for dozens of children who had spent years waiting.

IDI’s social workers spent weeks gathering information, tracing relatives, and traveling to remote areas, sometimes walking miles to reach the last known homes of the children’s families. Their persistence paid off when they found Ms. Rugiatu Sannoh, Mustapha and Ansu’s aunt, living in Nomo Farma, a village nearly 65 kilometers away.

When Rugiatu received the news, she was overcome with emotion. She had long believed her nephews were lost forever after the Ebola crisis. “They are my sister’s children,” she said. “They belong with me.”

A hosting event brought them together for the first time in nearly ten years. The reunion was filled with both joy and disbelief — long hugs, tears, and laughter from the children who couldn’t believe they were finally with family again. After a successful week of bonding, they were officially reunited with their aunt, marking a new beginning in their lives.

“This day can be remembered as a new beginning,” Mustapha said during the ceremony. “We will forever remain grateful to Kidsave and IDI Salone for finding us our family again.”

Since returning home, the siblings have adjusted beautifully to community life. They now attend school regularly, help their aunt around the home, and enjoy spending time with other children their age. For them, simple moments — playing hide and seek, listening to village elders’ stories, and sharing meals — have become daily reminders of love and belonging.

Their story is one of 57 successful reunifications completed this year by IDI with Kidsave’s support. Eleven of those children were hosted by caring families through community events held in Dama, Dawawulo, and Sendumie, where hundreds of local residents came together to witness the power of family and community.

In addition to reunifications, over 600 people participated in training programs on child welfare, protection, home management, and leadership — ensuring families were prepared to welcome children into safe and supportive environments.

Monitoring also remains a key part of the program. IDI continues to check in on over 100 children across 25 communities. Nearly half of those have now successfully completed their six-month follow-up period, thriving in their new homes.

But the program doesn’tstop at reunification — it also focuses on empowerment and stability. Through Kidsave’s microloan initiative, families like 55-year-old widow Muniatu Sillah received small business loans and financial mentoring to help sustain their households. Despite her own hardships, Muniatutook in two children from the reunification program and used her business income to provide food, education, and care. “The microloan changed my life,” she said proudly. “Today, I can feed my family and meet their needs. We have a happy home.”

These stories — of Mustapha and Ansu, of Rugiatu, of Muniatu — are reminders of how far compassion and persistence can go. Each reunion represents more than just a child finding family; it’s a community coming together to heal and rebuild after loss.

Together, Kidsave and IDI are showing that no child should grow up without love, belonging, and a place to call home.

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