The Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) concluded a two-day Stakeholder Intervention Inception Workshop on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 May 2026, held at New Sella’s Spot on Kingharman Road. The workshop aimed to strengthen climate and health resilience within informal settlements across Freetown. This initiative forms part of the Urban SHADE project, which stands for Strengthening Responsiveness to Extreme Weather Events in Urban Settlements. Participants at the workshop called for stronger partnerships and sustained investment in urban resilience. They also emphasized the need for improved coordination among institutions to address climate change threats effectively in Freetown’s informal settlements.
Project Goals and Workshop Scope
The Urban SHADE initiative aims to understand how climate change intensifies vulnerabilities within Freetown's informal urban settlements and how institutions and communities can collectively improve preparedness and response mechanisms. Dr. Abu Conteh, Senior Researcher at the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre, stated that the project seeks to comprehend "how climate change intersects with existing social and economic vulnerabilities in informal settlements." Dr. Conteh added that "affected communities have remained central to the research process from the beginning, with residents serving as co researchers involved in project design, field research and analysis."
The intervention is implemented through a partnership involving the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC), the Institute of Gender and Children’s Health Research, and the Centre of Dialogue for Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation. Dr. Conteh described the Urban SHADE initiative as a multidisciplinary participatory research project operating across three middle and low-income countries. He also characterized the inception workshop as the "first in a series of science engagement activities that would focus on strengthening early warning systems, improving emergency response capacity and enhancing stakeholder collaboration in climate resilience efforts."
Braima Koroma, Director of Research and Training at SLURC, stated that the gathering was a "platform for collective action." He urged participants to "contribute their experiences, expertise and institutional perspectives toward developing a strong collaborative framework capable of protecting lives and strengthening community resilience against climate related disasters." Koroma added that the workshop marked a "transition from the project’s formative research phase to the co design and implementation phase of interventions," with discussions reviewing findings from previous years of research and establishing priorities for future action. Stakeholders at the workshop reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration, improving disaster preparedness, and developing community-driven interventions. Dr. Conteh noted that a primary objective of the workshop was to "identify areas of collaboration among stakeholders, clarify overlapping mandates, address institutional gaps and define how each institution could contribute effectively to resilience building in vulnerable communities."
Identified Environmental and Health Hazards
Dr. Desta Alie presented findings from Phase One of the research, which noted significant environmental and public health challenges affecting informal settlements in Moyiba, Susan’s Bay, and CKG. Communities identified deforestation, blocked drainage systems, and unregulated construction as major contributors to environmental hazards. Dr. Alie stated that "communities demonstrated considerable awareness of climate change and identified deforestation, blocked drainage systems and unregulated construction as major contributors to flooding, mudslides and heat related hazards." Rapid urbanization and population growth have placed severe pressure on infrastructure development, worsening environmental degradation and increasing vulnerability to disasters. Dr. Alie added that "rapid urbanization and population growth had placed severe pressure on infrastructure development in those communities, worsening environmental degradation and increasing vulnerability to disasters."
Health impacts documented in these areas include outbreaks of cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and malaria following flooding incidents. Residents also experience heat-related illnesses, respiratory complications, and psychosocial stress linked to displacement and disaster trauma. In CKG, smoke pollution from nearby dumping and burning activities continues to create respiratory health risks for residents. Dr. Alie noted that "smoke pollution from nearby dumping and burning activities continues to create respiratory health risks for residents."
Critical infrastructure and sanitation challenges are particularly severe in CKG, where residents live near one of Freetown’s largest dumpsites without access to proper waste disposal facilities. Dr. Alie confirmed that "residents live near one of Freetown’s largest dumpsites without access to proper waste disposal facilities." Residents also face major barriers in accessing healthcare services, despite existing free healthcare policies. "Findings revealed shortages of drugs and medical supplies, inadequate healthcare infrastructure overcrowded facilities and long travel distances for vulnerable populations including the elderly and persons with disabilities," Dr. Alie explained. Many women reportedly avoid healthcare facilities due to stigma and a lack of specialized support services, with Dr. Alie stating that "many women reportedly avoiding healthcare facilities because of stigma and lack of specialized support services."
Extreme weather events have devastated livelihoods through property destruction, business losses, debt accumulation, and loss of income-generating opportunities, particularly for women, according to Dr. Alie. Despite these challenges, "some communities have developed local coping mechanisms, including savings initiatives operated through organizations such as FedUp, which support women transitioning away from hazardous activities like stone mining into small scale businesses," Dr. Alie observed. Dr. Alie also noted that "weak enforcement of environmental and building regulations as a major obstacle to disaster prevention, attributing the problem to political barriers, overlapping institutional mandates and resource limitations." The current disaster response systems remain largely reactive, lacking structured evacuation plans, emergency shelters, dedicated response vehicles, and disability-inclusive preparedness mechanisms, Dr. Alie said. "Women, children, elderly people and persons with disabilities face disproportionate risks during disasters. Gender based vulnerabilities and social barriers often prevent women from seeking assistance, leaving many physical and emotional needs unaddressed during emergencies," Dr. Alie concluded.
Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities and Barriers
Residents face significant challenges in accessing healthcare services, even with existing free healthcare policies, according to Dr. Desta Alie. Dr. Alie stated that "residents face major barriers in accessing healthcare services despite the existence of free healthcare policies. Findings revealed shortages of drugs and medical supplies, inadequate healthcare infrastructure overcrowded facilities and long travel distances for vulnerable populations including the elderly and persons with disabilities." Women also reportedly avoid healthcare facilities due to stigma and a lack of specialized support services.
Extreme weather events have severely impacted livelihoods within these communities. Dr. Desta Alie noted that "extreme weather events have devastated livelihoods through destruction of property, business losses, debt accumulation and loss of income generating opportunities, particularly for women." These events contribute to a cycle of economic instability for many residents.
Weak enforcement of environmental and building regulations presents a substantial barrier to effective disaster prevention. Dr. Alie attributed this problem to multiple factors, explaining that "weak enforcement of environmental and building regulations as a major obstacle to disaster prevention, attributing the problem to political barriers, overlapping institutional mandates and resource limitations." This lack of regulatory oversight exacerbates vulnerabilities.
Vulnerable groups, including women, children, elderly individuals, and persons with disabilities, face heightened risks during disasters. Dr. Alie emphasized that "women, children, elderly people and persons with disabilities face disproportionate risks during disasters. Gender based vulnerabilities and social barriers often prevent women from seeking assistance, leaving many physical and emotional needs unaddressed during emergencies." These systemic issues highlight the need for targeted interventions to protect the most susceptible populations.
Community Resilience and Response Gaps
Some communities have developed local coping mechanisms, including savings initiatives operated through organizations such as FedUp, which support women transitioning away from hazardous activities like stone mining into small-scale businesses, according to Dr. Desta Alie. Community-led disaster management efforts also encompass drainage cleaning, road maintenance, fire prevention, and emergency fundraising.
However, disaster response systems remain largely reactive rather than preventive, Dr. Alie stated. Communities lack structured evacuation plans, emergency shelters, dedicated response vehicles, and disability-inclusive preparedness mechanisms.
Nancy Sesay from Susan’s Bay Community stated that "the initiative has already begun creating meaningful impact through community engagement and disaster awareness activities." Sesay noted that many residents previously lacked training on hazard identification and disaster risk management, but the project has improved her understanding of disaster prevention and community preparedness. She emphasized the "importance of acting before disasters occur, warning that delayed responses often worsen health and humanitarian conditions in vulnerable settlements."
Sesay described flooding in Susan’s Bay as a severe and recurring threat. She noted that "during heavy rainfall residents elderly people and persons with disabilities, are forced to remain awake throughout the night to monitor rising water levels and alert neighbours to danger." This constant vigilance shows the daily challenges faced by residents in these vulnerable settlements.
Call for Collaborative Solutions
Participants at the workshop included officials from several key institutions, noting the diverse range of stakeholders involved in climate resilience efforts. These included representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Freetown City Council, the National Disaster Management Agency, the National Early Warning and Response Mechanism Coordinating Centre, the Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency, and the National Fire Force. Community-level organizations were also present, with members from Community Disaster Management Committees, community health workers, and co-researchers from Moyiba, Susan’s Bay, and Crab Town, Kolleh Town and Greybush (CKG) attending the discussions. The breadth of participation showed the necessity for broad engagement in addressing the complex challenges faced by Freetown's informal settlements.
Despite the wide array of organizations involved, coordination challenges persist among stakeholders. Many organizations reportedly implement separate interventions without effective collaboration, leading to fragmented efforts in climate resilience. This lack of integrated action can hinder the overall impact of individual initiatives and potentially create gaps in support for vulnerable communities. The workshop aimed to identify these coordination gaps and foster a more unified approach to addressing climate-related risks.
