Children Sierra Leone Project #34919

Saving Children's Lives in Sierra Leone

by The Welbodi Partnership

Summary

1 in 8 children dies before their fifth birthday in Sierra Leone, with 161 deaths per 1,000 live births. A primary reason for high child mortality rates is an under-skilled and under-resourced workforce. Welbodi Partnership works to upskill and empower local workers to ensure long-term impact on child health outcomes in Sierra Leone. We do this by recruiting expert Paediatric Nurses and Doctors to train and mentor the local workforce and provide critical clinical support.

$25,000
total goal

$24,070
remaining

8
donors

0
monthly donors

1
year

Challenge

The Sierra Leone health system is incredibly fragile and is still liable to significant health issues, such as the 2013-6 Ebola epidemic. The country has one of the highest child mortality rates globally, with most children dying from preventable and treatable diseases. An under-funded and under-resourced workforce, combined with a lack of specialised paediatric training and equipment, means that children often do not receive appropriate or necessary healthcare, with life-threatening effects.

Solution

This project will provide specialised training to staff at Sierra Leone's only tertiary children's hospital, including mentorship, CPD courses, and clinical practice support, in order to reduce rates of child mortality and morbidity. The Paediatric Nurse will work with staff to identify key problems and agree locally-feasible solutions to address them, and will liaise with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to offer the government expert advice regarding child health policy and education.

Long-Term Impact

By upskilling and empowering local doctors and nurses, this project will advance child healthcare and improve patient safety in Sierra Leone. We work with staff of all levels to address the root causes of child health problems so that we see change which is fully integrated and comprehensive across the hospital. We provide Training of Trainers to senior staff to ensure high-level mentorship is maintained after the project has ended and to foster an active learning environment in the hospital.