Civil Society Index-Rapid Assessment (CSI-RA): Sierra Leone

Civil society has seen huge growth in its size and spheres of activities in Sierra Leone since the end of the war in 2002, more than at any other time in the country's history. Civil society in Sierra Leone today be categorised into four types, which have different aims. First, there are not-for-profit, membership-based professional bodies, which this study calls professional associations. These organisations largely seek the welfare of their profession. A second category of CSOs is that of not-for-profit service delivery and development organisations. These CSOs largely seek grant and contract funding to attend to service delivery gaps. A third category are CSOs that are primarily concerned with the pursuit of good governance and the maximisation of citizens' economic, social, political and civil rights. In this study these are called civic organisations. The fourth category of CSO is labelled in this study as social clubs or mutual benefit organisations. These are membership-based organisations that focus on providing welfare benefits for their members.