Sierra Leone, or Salone as it’s affectionately known, is a small West African country about half the size of England, with a population of approximately 9 million. 
A Country Still Rebuilding
The country’s infrastructure was devastated by a civil war that finally ended in 2002 — many hospitals and medical facilities were destroyed by rebels, and much of Sierra Leone still lacks running water and electricity. Sierra Leone has worked hard to recover, but suffered a further blow in 2014 with the outbreak of Ebola.
The Reality Today
Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the World Health Organisation:
- 1 in 9 children will die before their 5th birthday
- Average life expectancy is 59 years for a man and 61 years for a woman
- Maternal mortality remains amongst the highest in the world
- There are only around 600 doctors serving the entire population
How Help Madina Began
Madina is a small town in the north of Sierra Leone, not far from the Guinea border. Veronica first visited in 2008 while volunteering at a government hospital — and it was there that she met Brother Bruno, an Italian Xaverian missionary who was also a trained nurse.
Brother Bruno, whose meeting with Veronica sparked the creation of Help Madina.
Bruno had been working tirelessly to set up basic medical services the area desperately needed, and was searching for extra hands on the ground. That meeting between Bruno and Veronica was the seed from which Help Madina grew.
In 2013, the Xaverian missionaries handed their duties to Sierra Leonean priests. Bruno moved to a different part of Sierra Leone and has since returned to Italy. Today, Help Madina works hand-in-hand with local priests, healthcare workers, elders, town councillors, and the wider community to help meet the needs of the district.