About SLAAH

In Sierra Leone, poverty is widespread and deep. About 26% of the population is food poor, and cannot afford a basic diet; 70% live in poverty. There is a wide spread disparity in poverty’s geographical distribution: although about 66% of the population (4.963.000) lives in rural areas, three-quarters of the poor are rural. In the poorest districts (where war destroyed tree crops, or which rely on poor subsistence agriculture or artisan mining) more than 8 out of 10 people live in poverty. Sierra Leone’s poverty profile shows that the main poverty indicators are insufficient food, poor housing, poor health, high illiteracy, limited access to clean water, and lack of money. Maternal mortality, infant mortality and fertility rates are among if not the worst in the world. Contraceptive prevalence remains low, as does female school attendance. Household poverty is high among subsistence farmers, as well as among households whose heads have little formal education, and large households. The Sierra Leone Alliance against Hunger (SLAAH) aims to minimize hunger through effective and powerful advocacy activities. It consults with grassroots farmers, womens groups and producer organizations. SLAAH is part of the International Alliance Against Hunger (IAAH), a worldwide voluntary association of local, national and international institutions and organizations with a common mission – to eradicate world hunger and poverty through a combination of political will and practical action.