Sierra Leone is the poorest and the smallest country in Africa. Sierra Leone is also one of the poorest countries in the world with the shortest life expectancy. To understand why Sierra Leone is the poorest county in the world there must be an understanding of what is poverty, its causes and consequences of poverty and some possible resolutions to poverty. What is poverty? Poverty is the result of poor distribution of the national wealth, whether through unequal economic opportunity, inappropriate policies, or the availability of material resources through the absence of natural endowment. It usually refers to a state of deprivation. Any action to reduce poverty must embrace actions linked to the management of wealth. One reason for the state of poverty in Sierra Leone is war. The civil war or also known as the Blood Diamond Civil War in Sierra Leone caused death to a working population of 50,000. .
The war began in 1991 with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and Charles Taylor's Nation Patriotic Front of Liberia which is a rebel army that attempted to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. During the war the RUF took control over territories in eastern and southern areas of Sierra Leone over the exportation of diamonds. Over the course of 11 years many of the poverty levels increased and many people including women and children died. Later, world leaders began to interview and in January 2002 President Kabbah declared the civil war is officially over. The civil war that took a place in 1991-2001 left many scars, economic, political and social dilemmas. .
Another major cause of poverty in Sierra Leone is the lack of education. After the civil war many schools were built with no form of support from the community and little government funding. There is also a lack of books and basic supplies and equipment for education. Due to the civil war it has been a struggle to educate the children and there is no education available for adults.