Where ILDI Has Been

Focus on Core Strengths

Often to know where a group is going, one must understand where they have been.  ILDI has accomplished much in its short history, primarily by concentrating efforts on a few core strengths in one location: leadership development and medical projects.  As ILDI has gained expertise in the business development realm and in adult educational projects, additional programs in these areas have been implemented.  Our strategy is to layer programs in medicine, business and education in the same geographical area, then to replicate this model in other nations.

Foundational Building

ILDI was founded by several like-minded individuals, including those who still serve in managerial and directorial positions in the organization.  ILDI was established in order to address the overwhelming needs seen by its founders in the nation of Sierra Leone.  Just after that nation emerged from a brutal civil war, the founders became involved with ILDI's first developing nation partner, New Harvest Development Office (NEHADO).  The leaders at NEHADO were serving their community with relief and development programs, but desperately needed additional funding, leadership development, and technology investments.  ILDI has provided this and much more, helping to establish a network of mobile medical clinics and business training programs.  And throughout this time, ILDI has provided capacity development and consulting services to the leadership team at NEHADO, helping to further hone the excellence of their programs and administration.

Impacting Healthcare in Sierra Leone

Since the civil war was ended in 2001, the health of the nation has improved very little, and even possibly has worsened.  Major rehabilitation of the nation's health posts and hospitals have come at the same time as dire nursing shortages, outstocks of needed medicine and supplies, and a hyper-epidemic of malaria.  The Government of Sierra Leone, being extremely cash-poor, relied on external funding to support the reconstruction efforts, but was not able to appropriate sufficient funding for staff and supplies.  As a result, a great majority of the population lacks access to affordable healthcare.

Mobile Clinic as a Novel Solution

Enter the idea of mobile medicine - if the people are not able to come to health centers, then we must bring the healthcare to them in the village.  New Harvest Medical Center began mobile clinic outreaches in 2004 after training done by an ILDI medical team.  The center's medical director has continued these outreaches, bringing health services to 5 villages per month.  ILDI is now seeking funding to expand the mobile clinic outreach to 2 full-time teams - one based in Bo (interior), the second based in Freetown.

Working Together, We Can Make An Impact

Businesses were struggling in the immediate post-war period.  ILDI medical teams often brought business people along, using these individuals to run the pharmacy or in crowd control.  As US and Canadian business minds saw the situation of the Sierra Leone economy, an idea was born: to provide free business management and leadership development seminars to community business leaders.  In this way, we can make an immediate impact on the skills sets of these individuals and help them to succeed.  When they are successful, they are then admonished to train others and expand their staffs.  Community business leader training seminars became a method of job creation for the community ? and these seminars strengthened the business networks already in place. A good idea whose time had come!

<< Prev Page   Next Page >>