Sierra Leone

Promoting Health and Education

April Greene, Danika Baker, Erin
Mosher, Andi Vanportfliet

Introduction
Sierra

Leone a country in West Africa

It is bordered by Guinea, Liberia and the
Atlantic Ocean.
Sierra Leone has a population of 6.092
million people
It has a Tropical Climate ranging from
savannah to rainforest

Introduction
English

is their official Language,

however 16 different ethnic groups
inhabit the country, each with their own
language
Predominately Muslim with a Christian
minority
It is considered one of the most
religiously tolerant countries in the
world

Lack of Clean Drinking Water

Sierra Leoneans get most of their drinking
water from polluted sources.
Some drinking sources are ponds and
unprotected wells; contaminated water
leads to infections and parasites. These are
the leading causes of death in Sierra Leone.
Rainy season lasts around 6 months, which
causes wells to fill with waste and
contaminated water to spread.

Maternal/Infant Death Rates

Sierra

Leone has some of the highest

infant morality rates in the world: 89 per
1000 live births. Under 5 mortality rate:
140 per 1000.
Infant mortality rate in the US is 6.1 per
1000.
Maternal mortality rate: 857 per
100,000
US 9.1 per 100,000

Ebola
Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease
marked by fever and severe internal and external
bleeding.
It is spread through infected body fluids.
It can be transmitted up to 7 weeks after recovery.
An outbreak of Ebola in Sierra Leone has been going
on since May of 2014.
Sierra Leone already has a low life expectancy (45.3
years old) and Ebola threatens to leave the country
in a worse economic and health state.

Inadequate Nutrition
Malnutrition rates in Sierra Leone are among the
highest in the world and the leading cause of child
mortality in the country.
Around half of the children die before the age of 5
from malnutrition
Around 300,000 children in Sierra Leone are
malnourished
Causes are linked to lack of awareness in mothers
about breastfeeding, reluctance to seek health
care, and a lack of food diversification due to
poverty.

Lack of Clean Drinking Water:

Nursing Diagnosis
Diarrhea

r/t contaminants, infectious

processes, and parasites, as evidenced
by at least three loose liquid stools per
day.
Nursing interventions would include
education on the importance of clean
drinking water and methods to making
water safe to drink.

Assessment and
Implementation
Team

up with The Water Project

Education on importance of clean
drinking water and how to obtain it
Team up with LifeStraw: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4yeWPjSb
T4
Education will be focused on parents;
going into classrooms and talking to
students

Infant/Maternal Death Rates:

Nursing Diagnosis
Risk

for maternal and infant mortality r/t lack of

contraceptives, violence toward women and
lack of education and appropriate health care,
as evidenced by one of the highest
infant/maternal death rates in the world (89
deaths per 1000 live births)
Nursing interventions would include education
on contraceptives and birth control methods,
helping to get cleaner hospital environments in
place and empowering and educating women.

Assessment and
Implementation
Team

up with Merck for Mothers

Education on importance of
breastfeeding and use of contraceptives
Education will focus on the mothers and
young women through clinics and
classes
Hold training programs

Ebola: Nursing Diagnosis

Risk

for Ebola r/t unclean and crowded

living conditions and poverty which is
evidenced by high transmission of the
virus.
Nursing Interventions would include
using isolation precautions and
education about how the virus is
transmitted and treated.

Assessment and
Implementation
Education

on signs and symptoms and

ways to prevent the spread (direct contact)
Hygiene education
Teaching citizens the importance of
quarantine and not to be afraid of it; also
educating how to set up quarantine tents
Team up with organizations such as WHO,
UNICEF, IFRC, to get more aid workers and
supplies for care

Inadequate Nutrition: Nursing

Diagnosis
Risk

for malnutrition r/t lack of education,

poverty, availability, resources and high
population and food scarcity as evidenced
by high mortality rates and decreased life
span.
Nursing implementations would be getting
an agricultural educator to help teach the
citizens proper farming techniques and
educating mothers on balanced meals.

Assessment and
Implementation
Educating

mothers on the importance of

breast feeding for the first 6 months
after childbirth
Team up with World Food Programme

References
Sierra

Leone Campaign. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http

://acdivoca.org/sierra-leone-campaign
Sierra Leone: The Kenema tent helps to prevent Ebola spread.
(n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://
www.who.int/features/2014/sierra-leone-kenema-tent/en/
Water In Crisis - Spotlight Sierra Leone. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20,
2015, from http://thewaterproject.org/water-in-crisis-sierra-leone
World Contraception Day: The Challenges Facing Sierra Leone's
Youth. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://
www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2012/09/World- ContraceptionDay-The-Challenges-Facing-Sierra-Leones- Youth
World Food Programme. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from
https://www.wfp.org/countries/sierra-leone/overview