Sierra Leone is more than war scars and quiet grief, it is children rebuilding voice, safety, and study after years that took too much. From Bo to Freetown and rural towns beyond, their courage is visible, and we are here to hold it up and help it grow.
Sierra Leone has faced civil war, Ebola, and natural disasters — each leaving children more vulnerable. While peace has returned, children still face severe poverty, violence, and underfunded services. These are the three most urgent challenges:
Sexual abuse, rape, and early pregnancy are common. Many survivors never report due to stigma or lack of trust in the justice system. Legal follow-through is rare, especially in rural areas.
Although public education is technically free, families still struggle with costs for uniforms, supplies, and meals. Many children — especially girls — drop out to support family survival.
Many children still carry invisible wounds from war and Ebola-era loss. Trauma, grief, and ongoing instability have led to high levels of anxiety, aggression, and emotional shutdown — often without access to care.
At Rainbo centers, a survivor is welcomed with medicine, evidence care, and a calm voice that believes her, then guides each next step. Nurses treat injuries, counselors restore breath and focus, legal teams prepare cases with clarity; none of it moves without the child’s dignity intact. Parents learn how to support healing; teachers learn how to make school a safe place to come back to; police have partners who speak the language of trauma and of law. Prevention sessions meet communities where they gather, replacing rumor with truth and a plan for protection. Files are not closed with signatures alone; follow up continues until safety holds. The result is more than services; it is justice that feels reachable and recovery that belongs to the survivor. In a country still healing, Rainbo restores voice and hope.
Commit and Act trains teachers, caregivers, and counselors to see what anxiety, grief, and shutdown look like in a child, then to respond with methods that fit the culture and the classroom. Art and play let feelings surface; small group circles teach grounding and trust; one to one sessions move at the child’s pace. School support keeps learning within reach while the heart mends; parents receive simple tools that live at home and work after the session ends. In rural clinics and city rooms, the same pattern holds: slow is fast, listening is care, practice is power. Over time, nightmares ease, attention returns, and a student who once hid at the back begins to raise a hand. Healing becomes a path, not a moment, and that path leads back to belonging.
Each week in Bo, girls gathered with facilitators who knew when to speak and when to wait, and together they turned isolation into sisterhood. Journaling, story games, and quiet conversation built confidence without force; tears and laughter shared the same circle. Practical safety planning sat beside creativity; school goals were named and written down; small wins were celebrated, not rushed past. When a girl needed legal help, Rainbo staff walked with her so a courthouse would not feel like a second harm. Attendance held because the room felt safe and predictable; trust deepened because promises were kept. By season’s end, voices that once stayed inside found the courage to carry across the room, then into class, then home.
For two weeks, a community still marked by loss filled tents with music, memory work, and lessons that rebuilt the habit of study with kindness. Children practiced grounding, shared stories of those they loved, then opened notebooks with a steadier heart. Teachers blended catch up reading with games that restored friendship; counselors stayed close so hard moments did not end the day. Meals anchored the schedule; backpacks kept materials safe; parents were invited to see progress and learn how to support at night. The camp did not erase sorrow, it taught children to carry it and still grow. Many returned to school with confidence, and the village felt a little more like a place where tomorrow belongs.
Provides free education, school meals, and community support for children in underserved communities.
Improves child and maternal health while expanding access to education in rural Sierra Leone.
Promotes sustainable community development through advocacy, civic education, and youth training.
Delivers healthcare, clean water, and economic empowerment to vulnerable rural communities.
Equips young people with education, medical aid, and leadership skills for social change.