ARC Sierra Leone - American Refugee Committee

ARC Sierra Leone

Head Office: Freetown

Where ARC Works in Sierra Leone: In Freetown and the districts of Bo/Kenema, Kailahun, Kambia, Daru and Port Loko

People We Serve: Sierra Leonean returnees and others-at-risk

Conflict throughout West Africa has taken its toll on the people residing in Sierra Leone. While an eleven-year civil war devastated Sierra Leone, a fourteen-year civil war was destroying neighboring Liberia. The conflict in Sierra Leone ended in 2000, but only after hundreds of thousands had been forced to flee their homes. Today, in Sierra Leone, ARC serves those who have been forced to flee because of violence and those whose lives have been turned upside down by events beyond their control.

What ARC does in Sierra Leone:

Small Business Loans
Small Business Training and Development
“Refuge to Return” Assistance

Operational Since: 2000

The ceasefire of 2000 and the elections of 2002 ended the civil war in Sierra Leone, but the poverty, unemployment, and public health issues that characterized wartime continue to cripple the country. ARC began operating in Sierra Leone in 2000 to address the needs of returning refugees and a war-torn society.

Milestones:

ARC operates a microfinance institution (MFI) in Sierra Leone called Finance Salone. Finance Salone provides small loans and business training to entrepreneurs trying to start and grow small businesses. If it were not for Finance Salone and other institutions, these entrepreneurs would have no access to the small loans that enhance their livelihoods and helps them better support their families.

Finance Salone currently has 15,803 active clients and an outstanding loan portfolio of $2,488,732.

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