About

Salone, as Sierra Leone is called by its people, is a West African country with a population of more than 7 million people. It is home to many inspiring people, intricate culture, unique nature and wildlife, which together make up its fascinating canvas. But history has not been kind to Salone. Tragedies like war and disease have had and are still having a profound effect on the country. The awareness of both aspects of this country have shaped the idea for this website. The website is trying to play a small part in bending the narrative from negative to positive by focusing on the good initiatives for Sierra Leone.

Initiatives
The main focus of all of the initiatives on these pages is Sierra Leone. Initiatives can be individuals, social enterprises or charities. They have at their heart different aspects of the country like education, health, nature and culture. They can be located in the country itself, run by local people or people with an international background. Or they can be located in another country, with or without people who represent them in Sierra Leone. Highlighting private initiatives is the primary goal, but we will include larger international initiatives who have projects in multiple countries, this aspect will be added to their listing.

Philosophy
The website aims to give an overview of initiatives, inspire others to get acquainted with and involved in which ever capacity and be open-minded. We are not linked to any of the initiatives on this website in order to remain objective. We aim to be independent and respectful.

Who
It is important to mention this website is not about us, the people behind it. But in case you are interested in our motives we are happy to express why Sierra Leone matters to us. Inspired by a month of webinars on private initiatives in different countries and our interest in Sierra Leone the idea to create an online overview of good initiatives took shape.

Salone is not an unknown country to us. However, only one of us has been there:  Growing up as a child I stayed in Sierra Leone when my father was stationed there for 1,5 years in the early 1980s. The people we met were friendly, generous and respectful. Their culture was so different to ours and so very intriguing. Sierra Leone’s natural environment was overwhelmingly beautiful, both at the coast and inland. But there was another side which did not go unnoticed: the poverty of people in the cities. Only strong people can live like this was my thought at the time. Only later did I understand the full impact of my time in Sierra Leone: the country is in my heart. For this reason I feel a connection with all initiatives which have Sierra Leone at their heart too.