Lost childhoods of war - ten years on, Sierra Leone youth take their futures into their own hands

18 January 12

When President Kabbah declared Sierra Leone’s 11 year civil war officially over ten years ago today the country was in ruins.

As the impoverished country reflects on the tenth anniversary, our team in Sierra Leone is attempting to re-educate an entire generation in forgotten farming methods.

It was estimated 2.5 million people - more than half of the population – had been displaced and a further 50,000 had been killed during the ten year civil war.

Fast forward ten years and Sierra Leone’s infrastructure remains in tatters. More than 70 per cent of the population survives on less than £1 a day, making the impoverished West African state a permanent fixture at the bottom of the UN Human Development Index.

The civil war broke the entire country’s infrastructure. Vital farming methods which were traditionally passed from generation to generation were also lost as communities broke up amid the chaos of rebel invasions. In a country where farming is the primary occupation, the collapse in the transfer of agricultural knowledge was devastating. It has led to Sierra Leone only putting 15 per cent of its arable land to use, while more than two thirds of food is imported.

Working in collaboration with community leaders and village elders, we identify those families in greatest need. Our Active Family Support programme then kicks in by offering individually tailored support for small agricultural projects - whether it be growing cassava, or breeding livestock.

Abdulai, 17, lives in Tambaka – a remote village of mud huts amidst the palm forests of North Sierra Leone. Near the border with Guinea, it’s one of the country’s poorest communities and a treacherous two-hour drive from the nearest settlement, Kamakwie. During the rainy season, it is all but inaccessible.  

Up until the civil war, Abdulai’s family survived by farming cassava and beans on a small patch of land near the river by his home. Surplus food was sold to neighbours, providing them with a modest income. When rebels invaded the village during the civil war, though, life stopped. Abdulai’s family home, plantation and tools were all destroyed and they were forced to flee to the bush.

Abdulai said: “We travelled miles that night trying to escape the rebels.

“I vividly remember seeing beams of fire over the night sky from the direction of our village.”

During the civil war the rebels were renowned for terrorising their victims with amputation and rape. Many of the soldiers were only children – often fuelled by drugs. Young Abdulai and his family spent months hiding in the bush, surviving on nothing but wild fruits and yams. Their plight culminated in Abdulai’s uncle falling ill from a mystery disease and dying.

“We had to bury him by a swamp next to where we hid,” recalled Abdulai.

“We lived in fear of being killed every day.”

When the conflict came to and end in January 2002, Abdulai and his family returned to their village. All their possessions and food were gone, their house was in ruins, and seeds for farming had gone astray. Tough times caused strain on the family and eventually led to Abdulai’s mother deserting them. To compound an already desperate situation, four years ago Abdulai’s father died. The only person who could step in and care for Abdulai’s brothers and sisters was his 66-year-old grandfather, Pa Yusufu. Having to head up a family of 21 youngsters proved almost impossible for Pa Yusufu.

When we first met the family, we initially brought the malnourished children back up to strength before sending them to school – helping to pay for school fees, uniforms, books and stationary. We then helped Pa Yusufu to set up small agricultural business in the form of a groundnut and palm oil plantation. We also provided seeds and know-how so he could attempt to grow peppers and beans.

Today Pa Yusufu sustains his young family and the surplus is sold to the local community – providing them with an income. Through the revival of traditional methods of food production, we’re also encouraging Abdulai to become an aspiring entrepreneur in agriculture.

“I have missed a lot of education, so farming is my best option,” said Abdulai, who lost a childhood to war.

“I want it to grow the family business so I can one day sell my crops further afield."

Read more about our work in Sierra Leone.