WHH in Sierra Leone

WHH has considerable experience in undertaking construction work, including waste management facilities built in four city councils, schools, multiple agriculture business centers, cocoa processing centers, drying floors, fermentation centers, warehouses etc.

WHH adopts a comprehensive strategy that intertwines nutrition and food security, employing such as agricultural advancement, livelihood assistance, and health education methodologies. The LANN+ method emphasizes nutrition security through skill enrichment and behavioral modifications. Training encompasses key areas like breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and hygiene practices, emphasizing sustainability and fostering community empowerment by engaging closely with local populations.

At WHH, we design our interventions at three levels: macro, meso and micro. At the macro (national level), we seek to strengthen:  

• Laws and Enforcement: We support the development of laws that protect forests and promote sustainable agricultural practices and organic farming. 

• Financial inclusion: Provide financial incentives through Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) for farmers to foster financial inclusion. These women-led groups of 20-25 farmers use these funds to invest in agricultural activities, e.g., procurement of seeds or investments in WASH infrastructure. Members also receive training in financial literacy, group dynamics, etc. 

Since 2014, WHH has provided infrastructural and capacity-building support to the city councils of Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Koidu to address the alarming situation regarding urban solid waste pollution. WHH constructed waste treatment facilities (e.g., landfill sites, waste lagoons, waste sorting houses and drying platforms) and waste management departments/offices provide treatment facilities with water and solar power supply. We also supported city councils with equipment and provided training courses to local council staff, youth groups and small/medium enterprises. 

Agriculture is central to WHH’s work, supporting food production, income generation, and climate resilience in vulnerable communities. WHH promotes climate-smart agriculture practices, crop diversification, and agroforestry systems that integrate trees with key cash crops—cocoa, coffee, and cashew—to improve soil health, biodiversity, and forest conservation. 

To ensure sustainable, deforestation-free production, WHH supports organic certification schemes (EU, NOP/USDA) that require strict environmental and social standards, alongside robust traceability protocols. We collaborate with research institutions to develop eco-friendly farming innovations that increase productivity without harming the environment. 

WHH applies Market Systems Development (MSD) approaches to ensure long-term impact, working with businesses to strengthen demand and build sustainable supply chains for organic, deforestation-free products. These efforts aim to increase farmer incomes while protecting natural resources and fostering long-term agricultural resilience. 

WHH constructs schools’ sanitation facilities and improved water facilities in primary health care facilities in rural communities in Sierra Leone. These WASH facilities have contributed to increasing school enrolment, girl’s dignity and access to a healthy school environment. The construction of solar-powered boreholes in health care facilities has also created resilient communities living in a healthy environment, which contributes to the reduction of materteral mortality, preventive waterborne diseases and increased vulnerable farming community household incomes. 

With funding from the EU, WHH leads a consortium including an INGO and local partners in Eastern and Northern Sierra Leone to provide solar microgrids and charging stations to communities and public institutions in Segbewma Town Kailahun District; Panguma in Kenema District and Gbinti in Port District. The implementation covered 12 Community Health Centers, nine community health posts/centers, three hospitals, (two hospitals connected to localized grid structures) and six secondary schools – all supplied with renewable solar energy. 

In the past years, WHH supported the health sector with infrastructure development and capacity-building measures in Bonthe, Kenema and Kailahun Districts in supporting training. In response to the Ebola pandemic, WHH constructed healthcare centers at the community level and equipped them with solar power and refrigeration facilities. Healthcare workers were trained for Ebola response, pre- and post-natal care, maternity care and inpatient and outpatient treatment. 

Our WASH interventions are rooted in systems thinking, applying a holistic, systems-strengthening approach to tackle the long-term challenges to sustainable service delivery in Sierra Leone, which can also be applied to the health sector. We identify actors and factors (Building Blocks) to address institutional arrangements and coordination, service delivery and infrastructure, regulation and accountability, inclusive planning, finance, monitoring, water resources and environment, learning and adaption, demand behavior, and political will.

We leverage our local and international partners to ensure effective and efficient project delivery. We currently have ninelocal partners and three international partners with various competencies, including in health interventions. Partners provide indispensable value to our programs with their own skills and experiences for locals, including indigenous knowledge and established relationships with local government and community stakeholders. Local partners are better positioned to continue monitoring after project closure.

We have a proven track record of prudent grant management with an annual turnover of at least six million euros in the last three years. Our donor portfolio includes the European Union (EU) as a long-term funding partner in value chain development, especially infrastructure for value addition and storage.  

DFID (now FCDO) funded waste management infrastructure development. BMZ funds the most extensive portfolio,including WASH systems strengthening. Irish Aid funding nutrition for health intervention through Nutrition Smart Community Projects. 

Charity Water is funding our WASH intervention in Bonthe District, which will benefit public health units and schools with WASH infrastructure. GIZ has supported cocoa value chain development, including construction and equipping processing centers, warehouses and buying centers.  

The Gender Model Family (GMF) approach, co-designed with a local partner, SEND-SL, is an innovative strategy to promote gender equality within households and communities. This approach involves transforming traditional gender roles and encouraging equitable relationships between men and women in all aspects of family and community life. The GMF approach focuses on creating model families that demonstrate gender equality, which can then serve as examples for others to follow. Objectives of the GMF Approach are to:  

• Promote gender equality: 
• Encourage equal participation of men and women in household decision-making, economic activities, and community leadership. 
• Challenge and change traditional gender roles that limit opportunities for women and girls. 
• Enhance family wellbeing: 
• Improve the overall wellbeing of families by promoting shared responsibilities and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. 
• Foster healthy relationships and reduce gender-based violence. 
• Community empowerment: 
• Use model families as catalysts for broader community change, inspiring others to adopt gender-equitable practices. 
• Build a supportive network of families and community members committed to gender equality.