Friday 27 June 2014

Youths of Freetown cleaning their city


 "We are happy to do this work, this keeps us away from being idle and at the same time we are getting employed. After work, I am going to relax and watch the World Cup. We need more jobs for the youths. Thanks very much"








Agriculture students of Njala University on a vegetable planting project

Agriculture students of Njala University on a vegetable planting project at the University's Campus in Southern Sierra Leone. "The course is not that difficult. I find it extremely interesting. My dream is to continue working in the field of agriculture after University. The most interesting part of the course is field work, working in the farm. Farming is a very prolific area even though most people are shying away. Most of my fellow young people have been intoxicated with the idea of working in the office but farm work is the best. I am planting cucumber and my colleagues are planting watermelon. So far i have not had any memorable moment because I am only in year one and looking forward to the course. The cucumber takes three months and we will come back in August to harvest. Thank you very much"






Monday 9 June 2014

Life working as a Play Station Owner

"Life working as a play station owner is like yeast and bread (Rise and fall), sometimes good and sometimes very slow. It is a very hard job as I have to be in the same place all the time. As much as I appreciate it, I would prefer otherwise. I have been in the gaming trade for two years now. It is a very profitable game because they pay 500 leones and the game lasts for only 4 minutes. 

Youth busy playing a game

The major issue with this business is the intermittent power supply. sometimes my station go without power for days and I have to use generator and you also know the issue with fuel as well. sometimes the price is high and sometimes low. I am thankful for I have been able to feed myself from this job. My customers are mainly youths and some young adults.




Game is not only fun but keeps the youths away from being deviants to society

The giant Play Station TV

I have my own PS3 console at home. Besides I am employed and at full time. I have a PS2 at the station because the PS3 is very expensive and its best I keep it at home. I am happy when there is electricity because it saves me costs. Thank you"


Play Station owner relax in his station

Hair braiding in Sierra Leone


"Hair braiding is my job. It is the only job I do and I am able to make enough to take care of myself. When I finished my secondary education, my Parents could not afford for me to pursue my education to tertiary level. I realised I have a talent in braiding hair and I decided to pursue it as a trade. I have not gone to any cosmetic school yet to get certified but I intend to in the future. 

Hair Braiding is very common in Sierra Leone

Sometimes, I plait between three and five people a day. I hardly do boy's hair because most do not braid. I love the trade. I meet a lot of people and gain a lot from their experiences. Sometimes I go to my customer's houses if they are unable to come to mine. I love it when I go to their houses because it always costs more. I will encourage other women who finds it hard to get a job to search their inner self for their talent and pursue it. It is very satisfying. Thank you"



Hair braiding is a form of beauty enhancer for most Sierra Leonean ladies

Sierra Leonean children and their rights to play

Growing up as a child, we can all remember playing in the fields, on our compound or in the back yard. Every child has a right to play.  These Sierra Leonean children gather as they play a circle game called 'Akra'..Lets the children play. 




Children gather as they play 'Akra'
Akra is played by mostly girls. Seldom boy do join in the game but because they are mostly laughed at for being feminine, most boys shy away.

Playing is a good form of exercise for children
Akra is played by using both hands and feet. when a girl's turn is reached, she is expected to sing a song, clapping hands and stamping their feet. The purpose is for one of the girls in the circle to have a matching foot with that of the girl in the middle towards the end of the song.  

You cant claim to have grown up in Sierra Leone and not to have played Akra
 Once this is achieved, the successful girl in the circle will swap spaces with the girl in the middle. The girls in the circle will stand according to the number of points each has achieved. The girl with the highest point always stands at the right hand edge of the circle.
Busy playing balance ball

Apart of Akra, there is another game children play called 'Balance Ball'. It is played in a rectangular field. Both girls and boys do play 'Balance Ball'. As the name implies, while two members of one team will stand on each equal side of the field, the other team members are expected to balance a ball made with old socks. The team on the sides of the field will keep throwing the ball at the team in the middle until one of them is hit and then the teams will swap positions.


This girl runs away from the ball
Playing is not only fun but it is a very good form of exercise that helps in the physical and mental development of the child.

Sierra Leonean mechanic speaks on his input to his country's Economy


"Life is nothing without my job. I have worked for some very important people in this country. I love my job because it gives me a rare satisfaction. People others adore come here, I work for them and they appreciate me so very much. 

A busy Freetown mechanic locally called 'Fitter'

For me, this job is like my family. I have made some friends through this job that I now consider as my family. No matter what people think of mechanics, we are also making meaningful contribution to this country's economy. 

'This job is like my family'- he said
I will encourage others to do this job because with this job, you are always employed. I hope to own my own garage one day."

Being a retailer in Sierra Leone

"I have been a retailer for about eight years. I thank God for this business for it has been able to upkeep me and my children since I lost my husband. 

A Sierra Leonean retailer busy in her home stall

I have only been able to pay their school fees and take care of other expenses, I am also taking care of my aged Mom from this business. I have also been able to buy a one town lot which I intend to develop in the future.

She packs the commodies as she prepares for the day activities

However, it is difficult to grow for petty traders like me because of the huge family burden hanging over most of us. Besides that the lack of price control and inflation severely affect our chances to grow as a business.

A packed full home stall, common in Sierra Leone

I intend to grow and one day become a wholesaler."





Remembering the Day of the African Child



As we approach June 16 celebrating the Day of The African child and marking the 1976 school children massacre in South Africa with the 2014 theme “A child friendly, quality, free and compulsory education for all children in Africa" and as we remember the over 200 school girls abducted in Nigeria, Humans of Sierra Leone visited an Islamic primary school in Sierra Leone wherein the kids are also benefiting from Western education.
The children gather for the morning assembly

These beautiful photographs of the children in the school should remind Africa and the world of the importance and beauty of education. Most of us have walked through this path and we are what we are today because of education. 


The children listen to their head teacher as a teacher looks on

Attentively, they watched through the camera


Humans of Sierra Leone would have been a lost dream without education. So we want to congratulate all the African children on this year's Day of The African Child and also to thank the teachers and people in the education sector for bringing light to the lives of especially young children.



Assembly time, the smart beautiful children listen attentively