Last November 2025, we launched a maternal and child health promotion project in partnership with the WIRhE Foundation (Worldwide Initiative for Rhesus Disease Eradication).
We visited 23 villages, meeting with the communities and discussing key maternal and child health topics such as malaria, the importance of antenatal care, diarrhoea, malnutrition, and more.
We also raised awareness about Rhesus disease, a condition that remains largely unknown and neglected in Sierra Leone.
Nowadays, Rhesus disease is largely prevented through anti-D immunoglobulin injections. However, in Sierra Leone, these immunoglobulins are only available in a few private hospitals in the capital, Freetown, and are very expensive—around $170 per injection. This makes access to this crucial preventive treatment nearly impossible for the vast majority of the population.
In partnership with WIRhE (Worldwide Initiative for Rhesus disease Eradication), we are contributing to a study aimed at documenting blood group and Rhesus (Rh) incompatibility awareness among women in rural Sierra Leone, as well as identifying barriers to accessing antenatal care. We ask women attending our health promotion sessions to voluntarily complete a short questionnaire lasting only a few minutes.
Key Themes Delivered
- Maternal and child health
- Malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia prevention
- Nutrition and hygiene
- Family planning
- Rh disease awareness
- Importance of antenatal care
- Preventing gender-based violence
This pilot forms the foundation for the 6-month project launching in 2026.
