For over two decades, the Kenema Rainbo Centre has stood as a pillar of hope for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province. Established in 2004 at a time when survivors had few dedicated spaces to turn to, it became one of the country’s first integrated SGBV response facilities and one of three founding centres in the Rainbo Initiative network.

Now, with generous support from Irish Aid, this storied facility has undergone a significant renovation, breathing new life into its walls and a renewed purpose into its mission to deliver dignified, survivor-centred care to vulnerable women and girls across Kenema District and its surrounding communities.

Over the years, the Kenema Rainbo Centre has grown into a trusted institution, offering integrated medical care and psychosocial support under one roof. Recording the second-highest caseload in the Rainbo Initiative network, the centre has walked alongside thousands of survivors, many presenting with the most critical and complex cases of SGBV, bearing witness to their pain and accompanying them on the difficult road toward healing and justice.

SGBV is not a private matter but a public health and human rights crisis, and the spaces where that response is delivered matter as much as the people delivering it. But years of continuous service had taken their toll. Roofing, plumbing, and electrical systems needed urgent attention, consultation rooms had grown overcrowded and worn, and an overstretched reception area created an unwelcoming first impression at precisely the moment it mattered most. For staff, these limitations were not cosmetic; they were operational.

“The centre could still accommodate, but it was somehow small. Survivors can come four or five at a time, and when you allow survivors to sit down together with their relatives, they begin to share stories and compromise. That was a challenge we had to manage every day,” said Hellen Adama Bockarie, Response Supervisor, Kenema Rainbo Centre.

SGBV response is not only about programmes and activities but also about the physical environments in which those programmes are delivered. Irish Aid, Ireland’s overseas development programme and Rainbo Initiative’s longest-standing donor partner, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to human rights, gender equality, and the protection of the most vulnerable in Sierra Leone. It is through their continued funding support under the  “ Strengthening SGBV Prevention and Response Services in Sierra Leone” that the Kenema Centre renovation was made possible, a tangible expression of a partnership that has consistently placed the dignity and well-being of survivors at its core.

A dedicated child-friendly space keeps young children safe and engaged while their mothers receive care. Staff workspaces have also been reorganised to create a more efficient and collaborative environment.

“The joy is unexplainable. For me to get a bigger space like this, I am so happy. Because now the survivors will sit at the reception, the relatives will sit in the new extension, and everyone gets their own space. That is what they deserve,” said Hellen Adama Bockarie, Response Supervisor, Kenema Rainbo Centre.

Privacy has been significantly enhanced; survivors can now move through the facility, from reception to medical room to counselling room, without feeling exposed or observed. For many, particularly those who have faced shame, stigma, or disbelief within their own communities, this sense of confidentiality is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for engagement.

The benefits of the renovation extend beyond the survivor experience; they reach deep into the daily working lives of the multidisciplinary team that makes the Kenema Rainbo Centre function. Medical staff, psychosocial counsellors, and other personnel now operate within a space that better supports the demanding, emotionally intensive work they perform every day.

“Everything is now truly a one-stop centre. We have expanded rooms, a recreational space for children, and a ramp for survivors who use wheelchairs. No matter the number of survivors who come, we are now able to attend to them all, with the privacy, space, and dignity they deserve,” said Bob Lamin, Head of Programmes, Rainbo Initiative.

The Kenema Rainbo Centre has come a long way since its doors first opened in 2004. What began as a response to urgent need has grown for over twenty years into one of Sierra Leone’s most established and trusted spaces for SGBV survivors. Today, thanks to the vision and commitment of Irish Aid and the tireless dedication of Rainbo Initiative’s staff and partners, it enters a new chapter, renewed in form and unwavering in purpose.

For the women, girls, men, and boys who will walk through its doors in the months and years ahead, the renovated centre offers something that no programme document or policy framework can fully capture: a place where they will be received with dignity, supported with skill, and accompanied toward healing with compassion.

Click on the link to read more about our Rainbo Centre services here