“When I first entered Bunumbu for the first time, I went to visit my best friend’s relative. Without knowing what I would encounter, nothing prepared me for the biggest hug I would ever receive. Very quickly, I realized everything I was told about people in rural Sierra Leone was wide of the mark. My grandma, as she insisted I call her, greeted me with a dance, with fresh pineapples, fresh mangoes to the point that I had to kindly deny the rest.”

The Participatory Land Use Mapping Project empowers communities to understand their land and their land rights, understand conservation better, and be a part of national policy and dialogue. Using a community led approach, community members are placed in the driver’s seat on their land management.

Men as leaders largely excluded women from attending community meetings, and decision-making processes, which forced the women to take the back seat. Women became dependent on men and were largely discriminated against, which made them less confident to use their voices.

In Sierra Leone, like many other countries, love is a word used for so many things. We love our football (or soccer), we love our culture, our traditional cuisine and of course our families. Sierra Leoneans however have a unique way of showing affection, something that may not resonate with countries in the west. Men are taught to be providers, work hard for their families, pay for school fees and take care of wife, children, siblings, parents, uncles and nephews. Love is expressed by coming home in the evening and watching football at home rather than going to the local viewing center with his buddies. The western concept of romance – buying flowers, chocolates and public displays of affection is a western concept many of our community partners are not used to.

We are also aware of the many challenges our partners have faced over the last few years. The impact of COVID-19, rapid infaltion and multi-dimensional poverty is not going away anytime soon. However, when we look back on how far our partners and communities have come, their resilience, what they have accomplished together and learned, it is impossible not to be hopeful about our collective vision to enhance wellbeing across Sierra Leone.

Over the past several years, OneVillage Partners has seen the growth of communities wanting to express their voice and needs. Communities, with the help of volunteer-leaders are staking a claim on their future and tackling issues they care about head on. Leveraging the transformative power of volunteer-leaders in Sierra Leone is one way citizens make positive, lasting impacts in their homes and communities.

Mental health is pivotal for the success, longevity and passion of any employer working in any industry - especially in the aid and development industry. As an organization that works in partnership with communities in rural Sierra Leone, daily, we witness firsthand the changes and impact multidimensional poverty can have on communities and on our local staff.

On the 13th September 2022, OneVillage Partners, in partnership with the community members of Lalehun, Sierra Leone completed and successfully handed over a new Junior Secondary School. Lalehun is a community in the Eastern District of Sierra Leone with a population of 2,858 and 387 houses. A community lush in agriculture and desire for a sustainable change.

A key issue we’ve noticed in the international development community has been the level of ethical communication strategies and terminology used to communicate to audiences.

Earlier this month, we released our expansion initiative with our plans to grow OneVillage Partners across all rural Sierra Leone. The response from our supporters and donors have been overwhelmingly positive and we are just as excited as you are!

2021 has been an incredible year at OneVillage Partners. We have experienced and witnessed resilience, growth and changes in our partner communities and our team. From overcoming global pandemics, to national and global crises’, our community members have shown us they are committed to this journey to grow and impact sustainability for themselves and for Sierra Leone.

Research suggests that appeals for giving in international aid are less likely to succeed if audiences constantly see images and information that they find too negative. This is true in many cases where calls to actions and charitable donations do not focus on the growth of a country, but rather the demoralizing images and descriptions of constant need.

Leading in a Changing World

On April 8th, OneVillage Partners with the Movement for Community-Led Development co-hosted a Skoll World Forum EcoSystem Event. This is the recording.

Last February, Executive Director, Jill LaLonde, wrote a blog post about our efforts to define and take action to decolonize our work and organization. Now, she’s providing an update on what we’ve achieved in this space, where we’ve fallen short, and a few areas of focus for the future.

On March 15th, we hosted a town hall with four experts on gender equity and women's empowerment in Sierra Leone. We discussed how women's empowerment and gender equity are thoughtfully integrated into the work of OneVillage Partners and are vital to the development of resilient, thriving communities.

The leadership of Maloma was male dominated. Decision-making power was solely in men’s hands. This culture was noticed by women in the community. As a result of this, women were not respected.

At OneVillage Partners, our staff, board of directors, and volunteers are always learning – about history, society, and ourselves. In honor of Black History Month, we’ve gathered up everything we’re reading, people from history who are inspiring us, and resources we utilize to challenge our perspectives. And we want to share all that good stuff with you!

OneVillage Partners and many other grassroots organizations have noticed the lack of inclusive planning in global aid and development and have chosen to take part in what’s called community-led development. But what is it, you ask?