UNICEF is responsible for the global monitoring and evaluation of the child-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that the United Nations and the Group of 20 (G20) nations have committed to achieving by 2015. Through statistical summary, one is able to truly decipher the state of health affairs in Sierra Leone. This information is vitally important to A Chance for Every Child, as it strives towards its mission of improving health and quality of life for children in developing nations by facilitating access to healthcare, empowering communities through education, and forming strategic partnerships to foster sustainable healthcare systems.
Below are snapshot figures on Sierra Leone, complied by the World Health Organization’s Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). UNICEF has created an “At-A-Glance” website that organizes statistics by Basic indicators, Nutrition, Health, HIV/AIDS, Education, Demographics, Economics, Women, Child Protection, and Rate of Progress. Sierra Leone’s specific At-A-Glance page can be viewed here.
WHO Statistics*:
Total population: 5,743,000
Life expectancy at birth m/f (years): 39/42
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2003): 27/30
Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births): 269
Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1,000 population): 556/460
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2006): 41
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2006): 3.5
*Figures are for 2006 unless indicated. Source: World Health Statistics 2008
UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children: 2009 report allows individuals and organizations to create tables comparing regions of the world or specific countries against several dozen indicators, which are then broken down to specific measurements. A customized table contrasting Sierra Leone to the United States and areas of Europe further highlights the need for intervening organizations such as A Chance for Every Child.
