In a ceremony held at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, United States Ambassador Bryan Hunt awarded grants totaling $40,000 to five non-profit organizations who are undertaking year-long projects to improve economic and social conditions in their local communities. These grassroots-led projects are spread throughout Sierra Leone and support Sierra Leonean aspirations for democracy, health, and prosperity.
This year, U.S. government funds are supporting programs to create sources of clean water, conduct campaigns to promote hygiene best practices to reduce the risk of water-borne diseases, create better teaching and learning environments for children,and provide access to improved healthcare facilities to strengthen service delivery.
Ambassador Hunt congratulated the grantees and emphasized the central role of the beneficiary communities in the planning, implementation, and sustained impact of each project. These initiatives are funded by the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) Program, which supports small, community-based projects throughout Africa. The projects are designed in cooperation with community members, who contribute their own resources, usually in the form of labor and in-kind donations.
In his remarks to grantees, Ambassador Hunt said, “Through the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund, the United States Government supports economic development in Sierra Leone by responding directly to requests from grass-roots leaders to support projects which will address pressing barriers to wellbeing and prosperity in their communities, helping Sierra Leoneans to help themselves.”
