UN Agencies Weekly Highlights 22-26 September

WFP

Japan boosts school meals programme in Pujehun District

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Japan have reaffirmed their partnership to support food security and education in Sierra Leone with the signing of the 2025 Kennedy Round (KR) Food Assistance Grant. The ceremony, held at Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown, formalized a grant of JPY 200 million (approximately USD 1.3 million) to be implemented over two years in Pujehun District.

The new programme, titled “Improving educational outcomes and food systems resilience through school feeding in Pujehun,” aims to provide reliable school meals to over 27,000 primary and pre-primary schoolchildren across the district’s most food-insecure chiefdoms. The grant will finance the procurement and delivery of school meals, including locally sourced rice, and support activities to strengthen food system resilience.

Speaking at the ceremony, Aminata Tall, WFP Representative and Country Director a.i., thanked Japan for its continued generosity. She said that the Kenney Round Grant is more than a donation. “It’s a powerful act of solidarity with Sierra Leone children,” she said. Aminata said that school meals are no longer just about feeding schoolchildren, but they are about growing local economies, supporting food sovereignty, advancing the FeedSalone Strategy in a way that links national policy to household incomes. “We are grateful for this new support which arrives at a time of economic pressures for many families,” she added.

Japan’s sustained support has been crucial to WFP’s school feeding initiatives in Sierra Leone. In 2024, a similar KR grant enabled meals for nearly 28,800 pupils in the same district. Over the past decade, Japan has contributed USD 37 million to WFP Sierra Leone, making it the largest donor to the country’s school feeding portfolio.

“This new grant reaffirms our shared commitment to pursuing inclusive education for the children of Sierra Leone,” H.E. Ambassador Yoshimoto Hiroshi of Japan to Sierra Leone stated. He expressed that Japan believes in empowering countries to lead their own development, adding that in line with this belief, Japan is pleased to provide food assistance that supports the government’s vision of increasing enrolment and retention rates by ensuring children receive timely and adequate nutritious meals to meet their basic food and nutrition requirements.

The event also marked the closure of a previous project that provided school meals to children in Kambia and Pujehun districts during the 2022/23 academic year, valued at USD 1.61 million.

Hon. Conrad Sackey, Minister of Basic Senior and Secondary Education, welcomed the signing of another new grant which he said would directly support over 27,000 primary and pre-primary learners in Pujehun district, ensuring that no child choices between hunger and hope. He said that the programme resonated with the government’s big five game changers especially the human capital development.

This latest KR grant underscores the ongoing commitment of Japan and WFP to improving educational outcomes and strengthening food systems for Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable children.
 

WHO

Sierra Leone concludes inaugural workshop on institutionalizing cause-of-death reporting and icd-11.

The Ministry of Health, the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), and WHO have concluded a two-day inaugural workshop to establish death reporting sub-committees and lay the groundwork for institutionalizing the Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) and implementing ICD-11 in Sierra Leone.

The workshop validated  terms of reference, explored enabling legal and policy frameworks, and set the stage for phased implementation of the adapted WHO MCCD tool and ICD-11 in the country. Next steps will include a multi-sectoral roll-out of the MCCD, transition to and scale-up of ICD-11, and institutionalization of the same at academic levels.

Speaking during the sessions, Dr. George Ameh, WHO Country Representative, stressed: “Every life matters, and every death must be counted. Accurate and timely reporting of deaths is a moral imperative.”

NCRA Director General highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration, while Emmanuella Anderson, Universal Health Coverage and Gender Representative at the Ministry of Health, underscored inclusivity: “Behind every statistic is a human story. Strengthening death reporting ensures every life is valued and used to shape policies that protect the most vulnerable.”

Through these efforts, Sierra Leone is advancing toward a reliable and standardized national mortality reporting system that will strengthen both health and civil registration systems.

UNICEF

Supporting Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health to deliver vaccines to remote communities.

With UNICEF support and funding from Gavi, the Direct Delivery of Routine Immunisation Vaccines for Equity (DRIVE) programme is ensuring that even the most remote communities in Sierra Leone receive essential immunisation services. For hard-to-reach areas, this service is a lifeline. Without DRIVE, vaccines could take days or even weeks to arrive, risking their potency and delaying critical immunisation for children.

Beyond routine vaccines, DRIVE also delivers essential medicines and nutrition supplies, both for regular services and during integrated campaigns. The programme has grown from six to eight districts, deploying 80 trained delivery partners equipped with motorbikes, Android phones, and rain gear. Their work has reduced stockouts, improved availability at health facilities, and enabled health workers to focus more on patient care.

Digital tools are strengthening impact. The Electronic Stock Management Tool (eSMT) now provides real-time visibility in 84 facilities, while Thrive360, linked to the national health information system, improves tracking of stocks, utilization, and wastage. Expanded cold chain capacity, solarized facilities, and new district vaccine stores are also ensuring a safe and reliable supply.

By integrating COVID-19, HPV, and malaria vaccines, DRIVE is helping close the gap for zero-dose and under-immunized children. 


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