John Cairns Photography

Nikuze has been able to borrow small amounts each year for manure/fertiliser for her small paddy field. As a result, the yield has increased 5 fold, so instead of being a subsistence farmer, she now has a surplus she can sell to market. She now sends her children to school and has also been able to build a new house.

Recent flooding demolished some of the walls of the Mangazua's home. World Vision provided emergency tents for those who's houses were completely destroyed and also emergency food supplies and seed for the next crop.

Fallah is a very keen footballer. He plays on the beach in Freetown every Saturday morning with his friends.

He is one of several in the team who lost a limb during the civil war.

For Viva Network.

Nikuze checks on her maize harvest was it dries.

Alhaji and Zachariah listen to their trusty radio.

Yousef and Abdullai study with their new science textbook. Yousef wants to be a bank manager, whilst Abdullai dreams of being the president.

With no living parents, Philip survives by trawling through the sewage-ridden water to find things he can sell, namely metal and shoe soles.

I met up with Philip two years later. Now with a part time job at the local government offices, life had improved for him, although he still lived precariously in Kroo Bay.

A mother & her children return home after a day at the market

Innocent started his butchery business thanks to a small loan from Opportunity International. His loan has helped with cashflow when customers have been slow to pay. He's paying the loan back faster than expected and hopes to move on to a 'growth loan' in the future, so he can expand his business.

A boy eats sugar cane in this Tanzanian village

For the last 10 years Fatu has sold fruit in the same spot by the road.

Essah (on right) jokes with his brother Saidu. Essah has been blind for several years and relies heavily on his brother's help.

Mr Koroma lost his sight during the civil war. There are very limited sources of income for blind people in Sierra Leone, so he supports his family by begging and is led around by his son Amara. He has to strike a balance between getting enough money for the family, whilst not taking Amara out of school too much.

A woman describes the difficulties she faces since her husband died of AIDS.

Children are tested for HIV

Negative! A girl and her mother celebrate the negative result of the HIV test.

Orphaned by HIV, these siblings live with their grandmother, who makes her living by weaving baskets.

Apono

Scolara stands between her old and new houses. The new one was funded by Milday staff who all donate a proportion of their income to help those in need.

Charity photography