Faiths Act in Sierra Leone
Faiths Act is committed to helping fight malaria on the ground in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a country with only 102 medical practitioners in a population of nearly six million. We have over 100 priests, imams, and other leaders spearheading our campaign to prevent malaria.
Malaria in Sierra Leone
Of all children who die under the age of five in Sierra Leone, one third are killed by malaria. This figure can be reduced by the introduction of malaria awareness and prevention methods. In December 2010, the government distributed bed nets throughout the country. Many households do not know how to use them, or how to treat a sick child when they have malaria.
How Faiths Act in Sierra Leone works
Faiths Act in Sierra Leone works by motivating religious leaders (our Malaria Faith Ambassadors) to reach out and train people in their local communities (Malaria Faith Champions). Malaria Faith Champions are responsible for going from household to household to educate and teach people about malaria awareness and prevention. We plan to reach over 100,000 homes by June 2012 through the networks and motivation of religious leaders. That translates into thousands of lives saved from malaria through multi-faith action.
Our four Faiths Act Fellows in Sierra Leone will be responsible for supporting this work.
Our progress so far
As of May 2012, the team have achieved the following:
- Number of MFAs trained to date: 234
- Number of MFCs trained to date: 6,128
- Number of first household visits: 109,249 (with an average of 5-6 people per household)
- Number of second household visits: 91,875
- Estimated number of people who have been reached through community activities 173,416 (does not include additional people reached through radio and TV.)
Working in partnership
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF) has initiated Faiths Act in Sierra Leone in partnership with the:
- Ministry of Health
- Interreligious Council
- Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone
