EU humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides visits an EU-funded Ebola treatment center run by Médecins Sans Frontières. Photo by: European Union / CC BY-ND
Sierra Leone is emerging from a decadelong civil war, which seriously damaged its economic, social and physical infrastructure. As with other post-conflict states, it faces myriad challenges, such as mass poverty, high inequality and pervasive corruption. It ranked the fifth-lowest nation in the 2014 Human Development Index, placing 183rd out of 187 countries.
Most recently, Sierra Leone has been one of the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola virus in West Africa. The outbreak, which to date has more than 13,500 confirmed cases and nearly 8,700 deaths, did not only lead to a humanitarian crisis but also slowed down the West African country’s economy. It has affected almost all sectors, caused a sharp decline in employment and livelihoods, and worsened food insecurity.