Sierra Leone, Portuguese for Lion Mountains, is an extremely poor West African nation, bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean and the countries of Liberia and Guinea. Sierra Leone is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina. Natural resources include diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold and chromite. Rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, and peanuts are among the agricultural products raised mainly by subsistence farmers.

Sierra Leone won its independence from England in April, 1961 but has recently been engulfed in a civil war that has taken the lives of tens of thousands and has displaced more than 2 million people.

The climate is tropical – hot and humid with rainfall along the coast reaching 195 inches per year - making it one of the wettest places in the world. The coastal belt consists of mangrove swamps, unsuitable for farming. Arable land is only 6.98% of the total land mass.

The population stands at slightly over 6 million people with the median age being 17.53 years. The life expectancy for men is 37.74 years and 42.06 for women. The adult prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is 7%. The population is made up of 20 native African tribes, Creoles who are descendants of freed Jamaican slaves, Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians. The official language, English, is limited to the literate minority

According to Rev Willard Wagner, RMC for West Africa we have 5 churches, 6 pastors, 11 mission workers and 797 church members. There is also a Primary School with 350 students and 12 teachers. This school, with a recently completed building, has received recognition from the government as one of the best in the country. With statistics showing Christians at only 10% of the population while Muslims are at 60% and adherents to Indigenous Beliefs at 30%, Rev Wagner and the IPHC make the call for ‘adventurous missionaries’ to make themselves available now while the country is at peace.