Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Sierra Leone

Peacekeepers build orphanage

[Sierra Leone] Children in Blama. IRIN
Sierra Leonean refugees return home
    ABIDJAN

    A 32-bedroom orphanage built by Nepalese peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL, was inaugurated by the country's Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Oluyemi Adeniji.

    Adeniji described the peacekeepers' work as "a classic example of peacekeeping efforts integrated with peace-building activities to win the hearts and minds of the people". He said that besides maintaining its peacekeeping duties, the Nepalese Battalion, NEPBATT 1, had been providing humanitarian assistance to local communities.

    The initiator of the orphanage project in southern town of Moyamba, Rev. Deborah Freeman, said the orphanage which is tagged "ground of the needy and disadvantaged," started two years ago and would accommodate about 15 boys and 25 girls.

    Some UN agencies and NGOs assisted the home with food supplies and non-food items such as blankets and toys. Freeman called for more support to provide formal education to the children and to sustain the orphanage.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join