Safe Shelter
Since 2019, Sierra Cares Foundation has repatriated nearly 2,200 women who were kept in state-sanctioned slavery in the Middle East. This effort required collaboration with our partners to help these women find freedom.
Our repatriation program's crucial component is providing safe housing for women to reintegrate back into society. Given the high number of women returning to Sierra Leone, it is not feasible to shelter them all in a single Safe House. We anticipate that these numbers will continue to rise each year.
To address this challenge and offer secure housing to their families and within their communities, the Sierra Cares Foundation provides a rental assistance program for 6 to 12 months. This program meets the most basic needs of these women and their families. We take a trauma-informed approach that allows each woman to reside in her desired community, gaining access to employment and education so she can re-establish herself in a safe and secure manner—without the fear of not knowing where she will sleep at night.
Our financial assistance for housing supports repatriated women and children who have been held captive or forced into child bride situations in Middle Eastern countries, consistent with IOM definitions of state-sanctioned slavery. This initiative includes partnering with community resources and educating families about the dangers of sending their women and children abroad to “work." We have also begun construction on our Safe House for migrant women, which is set to be completed by summer 2024.
Please consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor to this vital program. A recurring donation of $25 a month will provide rental assistance for up to four women each year.
