The neglect of rural development: a precarious imbalance in the aid industry

It is an established fact that "people living in rural peripheries, especially women, shoulder the burden of the world's poverty."

In an environment where there is no exit out of poverty, the widening gap between rich and poor worldwide is a major threat to global security and economic integration. About half of the planet's population are poor, living on less than one dollar a day. Poverty is a vicious circle, being both the major cause and the effect of a situation in which no opportunities seem to exist for the poor to help themselves.

A staggering 75% of the world's poor live in rural areas. And yet, resources and policies continue to be biased in favor of urban development.

It is as a result of combating this apparent imbalance that Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is championing the cause of a segment of the rural population in Sierra Leone. The civil war exacerbated the plight of the rural population in Sierra Leone especially women and children. Rural development and gender equality are key elements of strategies to reduce poverty and create income and employment opportunities.

Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is occupying a strategic position in the aid industry in Sierra Leone and we hope that development partners will partner with our team to stimulate development that will be innovative and sustainable. That is because Khadarlis for Sierra Leone is concerned not only about the migration of rural men to urban areas in Sierra Leone leaving unbalanced family structures behind, but also a great more about those who migrate from Sierra Leone  to the United States.

Presently, projects are being designed through which the organization hopes to partner with other organizations and financial institutions like the World Bank to implement projects in diaspora related initiatives on behalf of Sierra Leoneans in the United States, their families back home and the government of Sierra Leone as a formidable partner.

We solicit the goodwill of our readers, friends and philanthropists to lend their support to this great diaspora initiative launched by Khadarlis for Sierra Leone.