Sierra Leone and Liberia
Sierra Leone and Liberia are still recovering from long, bitter and vicious civil wars which devastated communities and the lives of their citizens
The civil war had a devastating impact on Sierra Leone - more than two million people were affected, many of whom are still refugees in neighbouring countries.
Sierra Leone is the lowest-ranking country in the world for life expectancy, access to education and standard of living. Average life expectancy is just 34, and almost three-quarters of the people live below the poverty line.
Former President Charles Taylor left Liberia in 2003 in the midst of a crisis. Since then UN peacekeepers have been deployed across the country, co-ordinating a national Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme.
The war displaced one million people and left 200,000 dead, while 80 per cent of people live below the poverty line, and the country is heavily dependent on foreign aid. We support two partners in Liberia, both of which were present throughout the conflict era, and are now focused on post-conflict rehabilitation, particularly for young people.
![]() | Skills training for former child soldiers Caritas Makeni provides vocational training for former child soldiers, such as Aminata, during Sierra Leone’s civil war |
![]() | Convictions fail to provide justice for war survivors The conviction of three Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leaders by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone is not enough to provide real justice for victims of the civil war |

![A young voter in Kenema, Sierra Leone, listens for election results via radio [Annie Bungeroth]](/var/storage/images/media_folder/cafod/images/international_images/africa/sierra_leone/young_voter_in_sierra_leone/3914-2-eng-GB/young_voter_in_sierra_leone.jpg)
![CAFOD supporters have lobbied for - and won - commitments on aid, debt and a fairer system of world trade [Kate Stanworth]](/var/storage/images/images/politicians-statespeople-and-celebrities/cafod-trade-justice-lobby-of-parliament/247481-2-eng-GB/cafod-trade-justice-lobby-of-parliament_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg)

![Ex-civil war combatant Aminata Sesav (in yellow) is training as a hairdresser with Caritas [Annie Bungeroth]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/sierra-leone/images/sierra-leonean-ex-combatant-trains-as-a-hairdresser/3886-2-eng-GB/sierra-leonean-ex-combatant-trains-as-a-hairdresser_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg)
![Communities in Sierra Leone learning how to use video to change their own lives for the better by lobbying their leaders for change [Alex Coley]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/sierra-leone/images/using-video-to-lobby-for-change/761658-1-eng-GB/using-video-to-lobby-for-change_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg)
![Ex-civil war combatant Aminata Sesav (in yellow) is training as a hairdresser with Caritas [Annie Bungeroth]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/sierra-leone/images/sierra-leonean-ex-combatant-trains-as-a-hairdresser/3886-2-eng-GB/sierra-leonean-ex-combatant-trains-as-a-hairdresser_0column75_nospace_landscape.jpg)
