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For nearly five years, Sierra Visions, Inc. (SV), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization has been serving the people of Sierra Leone with programs and services focused on contributing to the reconstruction of the country. Sierra Leone, a small country located in West Africa, is recovering from an 11-year civil war that ended in 2002.
The year 2007 marked the fifth anniversary of the end of hostilities, and a new beginning for the country. Although the country is alive with hope, the region continues to suffer from a myriad of social problems such as child mortality, extreme poverty, and illiteracy. The country has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world with 27% of children dying before the age of five. Seventy percent (70%) of the country’s six million population lives on less than two dollars a day and that is compounded by a 64.9% illiteracy rate. Furthermore, Sierra Leone has one of the world’s youngest populations, with over 60% below the age of 35, and almost 2 million between the ages of 15 and 35. The vast majority of these citizens are unemployed. Over 1.5 million youth live in conditions of poverty. This has created a generation that must battle increased youth unemployment and crime, limited livelihood skills, and a perforation of the HIV/AIDS infections. The nation is losing its best and brightest to conditions that can be resolved. The EXCEL Education program is committed to providing innovative programming that educates and teaches life skills to contribute to the overall growth and development of the country |
