We believe that women’s control over productive resources is critical.

ActionAid in Sierra Leone works directly with communities on the ground through its field offices and also in partnership with other organisations with a common vision. 

Working to address both the immediate and long term needs, ActionAid works in six thematic areas namely Governance, HIV and AIDS, Human security, Food security, Women’s rights and Education.

In the just and democratic governance theme, the organisation seeks to achieve a transparent, participatory and accountable governance system that protects, promotes and fulfils the rights of especially poor and excluded people.

ActionAid seeks to achieve this by promoting participation of women in key institutions and mechanisms of governance and deepening the accountability of state and its institutions at all levels. It also works to end conditions by International Financial Institutions that compromise the state’s ability to deliver services to people.

Women’s rights work seeks to achieve protection and promotion of women’s rights at all level. To realise this, the organisation supports efforts to challenge unequal power relationships between men and women that perpetuate inequalities, promote women’s participation in leadership and decision making and contribute to reduction in infant and maternal mortality rates.  The work also seeks to increase attention and action on women’s rights in the face of HIV and AIDS.

In education ActionAid works to ensure free access to quality education as a basic right. It also seeks to secure resources from governments and donors for effective education for all, including adult education and sustained citizen participation and accountability of education systems and processes. Further, ActionAid supports schools to respect children’s rights and provide quality, empowering and relevant education.

The organisation’s human security in conflicts and emergencies seeks to reduce hazards that threaten poor people and build people’s resilience to conflict and emergencies. It also alleviates and addresses the cause of suffering, while assuring poor people’s access to appropriate assistance and basic services.

The HIV work facilitates people centred advocacy and campaigns for meaningful involvement of women living with HIV and AIDS. It seeks to sustain comprehensive HIV prevention programme to reduce vulnerability and mitigate the impact of HIV on especially women and girls. A partnership is one way ActionAid uses to address this.

Under food security, ActionAid promotes poor people to secure their right to food and have access to and control over associated resources. It also seeks to ensure international trade agreements do not undermine people’s ability to be food secure and promote trade justice. Key among the food right’s work is efforts to increase ownership and control over agricultural land by women.