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Children break rocks to pay for school in Sierra Leone

FREETOWN, 18 March 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of children in Sierra Leone are paying for their own education or helping their families make ends meet by working as rock-breakers for the country’s construction industry. full report

African migrants pay high prices to send money home

 JOHANNESBURG, 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world. full report

Sand-mining threatens homes and livelihoods in Sierra Leone

 FREETOWN, 1 February 2013 (IRIN) - Round-the-clock sand-mining on beaches within a few kilometres of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown is having a devastating effect on the coastline, destroying property, and damaging the area’s hopes of a tourism revival. full report

Call for targeted investments in cholera-prone areas

 DAKAR, 25 January 2013 (IRIN) - Aid groups are urging donors to invest in water and sanitation in areas known as hotbeds for cholera. They say while such projects might directly affect a relatively small population, the indirect impact in terms of cholera reduction could be immense. full report

In Brief: Staples, not export crops, key to tackling Africa’s poverty – report

 NAIROBI, 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). full report

Cholera in West Africa - lessons learned

 DAKAR, 31 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera epidemic that struck Guinea and Sierra Leone in 2012 is winding down. What to do now? Start preparing - for cholera. full report

GUINEA: New cholera strain poses prevention challenges

 DAKAR, 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - The cholera that struck more than 7,000 people in Guinea this year was caused by a new generation of cholera strains - atypical variants of vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, epidemiologists have confirmed. full report

SIERRA LEONE: The political battle on FGM/C

 FREETOWN, 17 December 2012 (IRIN) - Campaigns to lower the rate of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Sierra Leone are having some impact, but efforts to ban the practice have failed thus far, and despite a push to communicate its health risks, many still believe FGM/C promotes good health and hygiene. full report

IDPs: African IDP Convention comes into force

 NAIROBI, 6 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries. full report

SIERRA LEONE: Diamonds lure children out of school

 KOIDU, 6 December 2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leone’s diamonds fuelled the 1991-2002 civil war, and are now boosting economic growth, but at the same time they are keeping thousands of children out of school. full report

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