Sierra Leone is experiencing dangerous mudslides triggered by three days of heavy rains in and around the capital Freetown. At present, 312 people have lost their lives and 600 people are still missing. Unfortunately, this figure is likely to increase. An estimated 3,000 or more people are believed to have lost their homes and are in immediate need of emergency assistance and shelter. ActionAid is currently on the ground meeting immediate needs and facilitating the process of long term recovery,
Zynab Kamara, our Senior Emergencies Response Manager in Sierra Leone said "In nearly a decade of working on humanitarian response I've never witnessed anything so tragic. I saw children clambering over the rubble and mud, desperately calling for their parents. So many people were trapped, trying to reach their loved ones. The landslide is huge in scale... It rolled across three communities, burying everything in its path, destroying homes... leaving them with nothing."
ActionAid has launched an immediate response to this crisis. We are providing food and basic supply kits to the most vulnerable people affected, prioritizing women and children. This includes cooking supplies, dignity and hygiene kits, clothing, bedding, and other supplies to meet immediate needs.
Your support today will help to meet the immediate needs of those affected in the aftermath of this disaster and will also help provide long term recovery and reconstruction in the region. Our long term support will include helping communities rebuild their livelihoods, child protection programs for kids who have lost their parents, and psychological and trauma support for victims of the mudslide.
