Swiss-Sierra Leone Development Foundation

How it all started...

Harald Pfeiffer, physiotherapist from Gland in Switzerland, decided to take a sabbatical leave of 6 months to go to Sierra Leone to work in the Leprosy hospital in Masanga as a volunteer.

He was deeply touched by the misery that ruled there.

Back in Switzerland, with the help of many donors, he was able to organise shipments of medication to Masanga. Click here to read about Harald's venture in Masanga.

From 1988 to 2002, Harald Pfeiffer devoted himself completely to humanitarian help for Sierra Leone. In 1996, he decided to create, with his family, the "Swiss-Sierra Leone Development Foundation", to support his actions. A committee was formed and Harald Pfeiffer bought 6 hectars of land in Magbenteh, close to Makeni, with the dream of building a hospital there!


		He set up several support projects, including: education for poor children construction of housing for families agricultural support for local farmers sending clothing, medication, food, etc. by container financing of surgical interventions Thanks to small and large donations, an everlasting optimism and great personnal sacrifice, Harald Pfeiffer and his team worked relentlessly for 6 years.

The association finally found the funding for the construction of the hospital. It was to have 100 beds. Its construction started in 2002 and the inauguration was celebrated in 2006.

During the last decades, many containers were sent from Switzerland with second hand clothing for adults and children, food, cleaning materials, bicycles, technical and medical equipment for the hospital, etc. These items were distributed mainly to the victims of leprosy in Masanga and to the needy in the northern province of Sierra Leone.