Community Development

Community is at the heart of the Swiss-Sierra Leone Development Foundation, with the continuing aim of self-sustainability.

Initially, Mr Harald Pfeiffer came to the country as a physiotherapist to serve those living with leprosy, but he immediately saw the need for deeper assistance within some of Sierra Leone’s poorest communities. Since this time, community and self-sufficiency have created the fundamental basis of all SSLDF projects; both long and short support.

The Sierra Leonean economy during the Ebola epidemic left many communities associated with SSLDF and Magbenteh Community Hospital in desperate need of financial assistance.  Donations were obtained in order provide a feeding program to both vulnerable communities and hospital staff by supplying bags of rice in January, April and June 2015.

The target communities were the residents of the Polio village, the leprosy communities in Makeni and Masanga, as well as the villages of Magbema Makal and Magbobgna.

Facilitated by Action Swiss-Sierra Leone (ASSL) bags of rice were distributed in September 2016 and November 2016 to hospital staff and the children enrolled in the SSLDF School Sponsorship Programme.