Strengthening Disaster Preparedness and Response in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is prone to recurring natural disasters, particularly flooding, landslides and mudslides as a result of high levels of precipitation, occurring on a yearly basis. The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) has made disaster preparedness and risk management one of its top priorities, and in this regard, has requested the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in strengthening its capacity, particularly that of the Office of National Security (ONS).

The overall objective of the project is therefore to contribute to enhancing national efforts in disaster preparedness and response in line with the objectives of the National Disaster Risk Management Policy and the National Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Strategy and Action Plan.

More specifically, the project will:

a) Strengthen the capacities of ONS and District Council officials to prepare and respond to natural disasters through theoretical and practical capacity building, including through relevant simulation exercises as well as the provision of supplies, equipment and material;

b) Build the resilience and capacities of vulnerable communities to better prepare them for natural hazards, through Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) assessments, tailored DRR sensitization and training events, as well as displacement profiling and registration.