History
Rainbo Initiative has a rich history that is traced back to the aftermath of the Sierra Leone civil war from 1991-2000. In 2002, the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that the government create a safe space that provides free medical treatments including reproductive health services and psychosocial support to women and children affected by the conflict. In response, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) established the Rainbo Centres in Freetown, Kenema, and Kono in 2003 to provide lifesaving services to survivors of sexual violence. The Rainbo Centres were established at a time when women and girls were returning home after years of displacement internally or as refugees. The Rainbo Centres offered a safe and confidential place for women and girls who had suffered violence to name their experiences, get free medical treatment, and receive psychosocial support.
FROM THE RAINBO CENTRES TO THE RAINBO INITIATIVE
These centres later transformed themselves into a local initiative and became a national non-governmental organisation in 2014 that combines charity and social enterprise approaches to finance, deliver, and sustain its work. This was the genesis of what is now the Rainbo Initiative.
Over the years, the organisation has grown and expanded its services in Liberia and Guinea and, has become a global example of a local initiative passionate about ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in our communities and society at large.
To date, Rainbo Initiative has 7 (seven) Rainbo Centres in Sierra Leone and has served more than 50,000 people over the years.