€1.5 million German-backed inclusion project starts in Sierra Leone

CBM has launched a €1.5 million aid programme in Sierra Leone funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project – “Promotion of inclusive, gender-equitable and sustainable eye health, education and income-generating services in Sierra Leone” – is aimed at tackling a chain of barriers that often starts with poor vision and ends in lost schooling and income. 

CBM formally opened the programme on April 1 and 2 in Lunsar, a trading town in Port Loko District; in the northern part of the country. The area sits beyond the capital’s service network, inland from the Atlantic coast, with long stretches of rural settlements tied to rice farming, small trade, and extractive industries. Many households rely on seasonal earnings. Transport costs and distance often decide whether families seek care or keep children in school. 

Eye health sits at the front of the problem. Blindness affects an estimated 5.4% of Sierra Leone’s population and rises to 9.4% in the northwest, where health staffing gaps and weak referral pathways limit access to diagnosis and treatment. Cataracts account for close to 60% of cases, a reminder that much of the burden links to conditions that treatment can address when services reach people in time. Women face additional financial and information barriers and often delay care longer. 

Schools reflect the same access gap. About 23% of children live with functional impairments, yet many classrooms still lack trained support and basic accessibility. Stigma and weak implementation of inclusive education policies push children out of learning. In the six schools selected for the programme, only 6.2% of pupils currently identified have disabilities, a figure that points to under-identification, exclusion, or both. 

Economic exclusion follows. Young persons with disabilities face limited job options and few safe paths into savings and credit. When families lack access to basic financial tools, a health shock or school cost forces hard choices.