Voter registration in Kenema district, Sierra Leone. © Rebecca Stringer
Sierra Leone has amazing mineral wealth, yet 70% of its population lives in poverty and it is also ranked as one of the world’s poorest countries, lying third from the bottom of the Human Development Index at number 180 of 182 countries.
Following the civil war of 1991-2002, the country has made remarkable progress in consolidating peace and rebuilding its infrastructure. However, more than 70% of women and 50% of men are illiterate, and the infant, child and maternal mortality rates are among the worst in the world.