Evidence, policy and social protection

Too many children in Sierra Leone are living in poverty – with over 66 per cent experiencing deprivation when it comes to at least one or more of their basic rights. In response, UNICEF is committed to reducing child poverty in Sierra Leone, to ensure that more children benefit from an adequate standard of living and are enabled to reach their full potential.

In 2011, the Government of Sierra Leone approved its first ever National Social Protection Policy (NSPP). Two years later, the social protection pillar was included as a priority in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper III (the Agenda for Prosperity) as well as in the national budget – officially recognising the vital role that social protection plays in fostering development across sectors.

Since then, UNICEF Sierra Leone has been supporting the Government in its goal of building an inclusive social protection system that aids the extreme poor and vulnerable populations of the country. In 2014, the first phase of the World Bank / UNICEF-supported Social Safety Net programme was officially launched, targeting the extremely poor population in the country. By 2018, this programme had extended into 9 of the 16 districts and supported approximately 30,000 households – benefiting over 70,000 children. Additionally, in 2016, UNICEF Sierra Leone also organized a regional training on calculating child poverty in Sierra Leone, which resulted in the release of the country’s first Child Poverty Report and the formation of a technical committee to support child poverty.

In February 2017, the Government’s NSPP was also revised to align the country’s social protection policies with disaster response strategies – resulting in a more robust, responsive and comprehensive social protection agenda that fosters resilience to emergencies and provides a more inclusive pathway to development for Sierra Leone.