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Sierra Leone is one the world’s poorest countries, ranked 177/177 in 2007 on the Human Development Index and has an estimated population of five million, 51% of whom are children. 11.3% of these children (283,000) are orphans having lost one or both parents as a result of the ten year civil war, low life expectancy in the country, HIV/AIDS and a host of other factors. 20.3% of the child population does not live with their biological parents who are alive.
Poverty coupled with ignorance of children’s rights, many of which are now enacted in the Child Rights Act, poor…
There is growing agreement that separated children are best cared for in community settings, rather than in institutions. However, even in a community setting, there is a need for standards of care that allow for monitoring of children’s well-being. This is particularly important in countries such as Sierra Leone which is recovering from a brutal civil war and suffering from poverty, malnutrition, and limited access to adequate medical care. Since the civil war ended in Sierra Leone, child fostering—whether informal or facilitated by humanitarian agencies and the government—has become the…