An organization of persons with disabilities
WESOFOD-SL works to build a more inclusive Sierra Leone — where everyone has the opportunity to learn, participate, work, lead and live independently.
Since 2004, with persons with disabilities, families, communities, institutions and partners — across education, health, livelihoods and climate justice, social protection and governance.
Who we are
Persons with disabilities are not simply beneficiaries of our work. They are advocates, leaders and contributors to Sierra Leone’s development.
The Welfare Society for the Disabled Sierra Leone is a disability-led non-governmental organization advancing the rights, participation and wellbeing of persons with disabilities.
From our headquarters at the Village of Hope in Kambia District, and through our work across Sierra Leone, we support people with disabilities to reach education, healthcare, skills, livelihoods and the decisions that affect their lives.
Our areas of work
Removing barriers takes more than one intervention. We work across five interconnected areas that decide whether a person with a disability can live independently and take part in their community.
01
Teacher training, school adaptation for accessibility, education bursaries including tuition fees, and academic support so children with disabilities stay in school.
670 teachers · 100 schools · 30% enrolment increase, 2018–2025
02
Accessible healthcare and SRH information, health referrals, rehabilitation, mobility aids and assistive devices.
250 health workers · 50 centres adapted · 2,130+ assistive devices
03
Vocational skills, enterprise support and climate-smart agriculture — including the Survival Garden model.
1,000 people in vocational training · 1,200 small enterprises supported
04
Access to protection and support services, and residential and community support for children with disabilities.
05
Rights advocacy, participation in electoral processes, youth civic participation, leadership development and engagement with decision-makers.
~2,000 young people in civic and governance initiatives
Each programme is designed and delivered with persons with disabilities.
All five programmes
In the field
“Nothing about persons with disabilities without persons with disabilities.”
Accessibility auditors with disabilities measure the steps, doorways and ramps of public buildings themselves — then take the findings to the people who can change them.
Village of Hope
The Village of Hope is a one-stop centre for persons with disabilities: a school and a skills training centre, an innovation hub and small-loan scheme for starting a business, internships through our programme offices, and a construction company that keeps the village growing. Our headquarters are at the Village of Hope in Kambia, established in 2009. In 2025 the model began expanding to Pujehun with support from Trócaire.
Recent work
2026 · Advocacy
With the Global Disability Innovation Hub and partner OPDs, WESOFOD examined the barriers that keep disability-led organizations from development funding — convening 18 OPD leaders and contributing to published guidance.
2025–26 · Pujehun
An accessible vocational training centre — tailoring, soap-making and bead-making among the trades — so young people and women with disabilities can build marketable skills.
2025 · Kambia & Pujehun
Inclusive education, health, social protection, livelihoods, climate justice and governance ran side by side across both districts through 2025.
