This project covers the final year of a three-year nurse training program at the Ola During Children’s hospital (ODCH), the first year of which was funded by the Addax and Oryx Foundation. The project aims to sustainably improve the quality of care for sick newborns and children at ODCH, contributing to the reduction of neonatal and child mortality and morbidity. More specifically Year 3 will aim to support the ongoing integration of the activities of the ODCH Nurse Trainers and Mentors and ensure professional development and training of nurses is well embedded within routine practice. Activities in Year 3 will include: selection of a core training team; sustainability workshops for the longevity of the program; formation of a training framework and development of standard operating procedures (SOPs); a registration system to track nurse training; and quality improvement projects. Improving the paediatric-specific knowledge and skills of nurses will improve the quality of care received by children, in turn reducing the high number of preventable child deaths. This will create an impact within Freetown, but also at a national level, as ODCH serves as the primary site for paediatric nursing student placements in the country.
The Welbodi Partnership is a UK-registered charity based in Freetown and founded in 2008. Its mission is to build the capacity of the health system in Sierra Leone in order to reduce the number of women and children who are sick, suffer, or die unnecessarily.
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Population
7.6 million (2017)
Per Capita Income
USD 510/year (2017)
Poverty rate *
53% (2011)
Literacy rate
32% (2016)
Human Development Index
184th out of 189 countries (2018)
Sierra Leone has made considerable progress since the end of the civil war in 2002, consolidating peace, democracy and improving development indicators. The Sierra Leone government has prioritised and implemented reforms aimed at reducing corruption, providing health care and improving transport, power and public health infrastructures. Despite these significant political and socio-economic achievements, infant and maternal mortality rates are among the worst in the world. Poverty is heavily concentrated in the rural and other urban areas around Freetown. Underemployment remains a challenge and is especially acute in rural areas, compounded by a high level of illiteracy. The Ebola outbreak in 2014 added immense pressure to already fragile health systems.
Sources: World Food Program, UNICEF, World Bank, 2016 Human Development Report, Human Development Indices and Indicators (2018 Statistical Update)
*The percentage of the population living below the national poverty line.