Social Policy
Ending child poverty and inequality is key to lasting progress. UNICEF works with Sierra Leone’s Government to strengthen social protection, policies and financing for children.
The challenges
For children, poverty can mean missing meals, missing school, going without health care or being left without protection when families face hardship. Many children in Sierra Leone experience poverty in several areas of life at once, while social protection coverage remains limited.
When families face shocks or crises without reliable support, children can be pushed deeper into poverty and vulnerability. Limited fiscal space, fragmented programmes and weak system capacity make it harder to reach children and families most in need, including children with disabilities and families in remote or underserved communities.
• Two-thirds of children in Sierra Leone experience poverty in more than one area of life, affecting their access to health, nutrition, education, protection and other essential services.
• Only 0.8 per cent of children are covered by social protection systems, leaving most vulnerable families without reliable support when they face hardship.
• Public spending on social protection remains extremely low at 0.3 per cent of GDP in 2025, limiting the support available for children and families most at risk.
UNICEF contribution to the solution
UNICEF supports evidence-based social policies that reduce child poverty, promote equity and protect children from shocks. This includes strengthening social protection systems, advancing child-responsive budgeting, improving disability inclusion and generating data on child poverty and inequality to inform national decisions.
UNICEF works with government and partners to strengthen policy frameworks, improve delivery systems and make public spending more responsive to children’s needs. UNICEF also supports social protection models that combine financial assistance with services, information and behaviour change support for vulnerable families and adolescents.
Through stronger policies, better data, more inclusive systems and more equitable financing, UNICEF is helping Sierra Leone build a social protection system that supports every child and adolescent, especially those most at risk of being left behind.