Philosophy

Our philosophy

Traditionally in Sierra Leone, when a family portrait is taken, those with disabilities are not included in the photo. At OneFamilyPeople, we know the value of standing together as one united family and that’s where our name and our philosophy stems from. We’ve seen first-hand that changing perspectives is not possible without the collaboration of everyone in the community, especially persons with disabilities. Everyone should be there. United, as one big family.

As we continue to grow, we’re proud of all the members of our expanding family and know that only together can we create lasting change.

In all partnerships, we put an uncompromising emphasis on equity, transparency and mutual benefit. We value teamwork and constantly strive to learn from best practices in the field so that we can improve our services, identify innovation, and spark dialogue that serves as a catalyst for change.

How it all started

OneFamilyPeople was established in 2008 by a group of dedicated volunteers determined to positively change the lives of persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone. What started as a small group of activists moved by the reality of persons with disabilities in post-civil war Sierra Leone, has now grown into a more intricate organisation seeking even bigger dreams.

A few years after founding OneFamilyPeople, we began implementing our first projects and programmes to improve the health, lives and well-being of persons with disabilities and expanded our scope to empower girls (both disabled and abled) to be leaders. We eventually began collaborating with local Partner Organisations (POs) to deliver programmes targeting children with disabilities more widely. We coach these organisations and help to build their capacity to be even more effective.

We provide impact-oriented services for persons with disabilities, their families and their communities, working proudly with a broad range of local and international partners that are also highly committed to addressing disability issues.

Read more in our annual reports.