About the Institute
A practical learning institution built for Sierra Leone's own workforce
Sierra Leone Institute for Humanitarian and Sustainable Development exists so that the people already serving communities can gain the skills, structure and confidence to lead that work well.
Our vision
A Sierra Leone where local professionals lead humanitarian, development and community initiatives with the competence and integrity the work demands.
Our mission
To deliver affordable, flexible and practical professional training that working adults can complete without leaving their jobs or their communities.
Our slogan
LEARN. LEAD. IMPACT.
Empowering Leaders. Strengthening Communities. Transforming Lives.
Our approach
Short courses, real practice, local delivery
SLIHSD is organised around eight schools and five flagship three-month certificates. Teaching is delivered online, face-to-face and in blended formats, with weekend and evening options.
Most learners who come to us are already working: NGO staff, teachers, health workers, community volunteers, local government officers and small-business owners. They need specific capability, not several years away from an income.
So our programmes are compressed into three months, structured around practical assignments, and priced to be reachable. Learners are assessed on what they can produce: an assessment plan, a safeguarding policy draft, a MEL framework, a concept note, a working spreadsheet or an AI-assisted report.
Alongside classroom work, SLIHSD is developing the CCAP community digital learning centre in Mile 91 so that access to computers and connectivity is not the barrier that decides who gets to learn.
Who we serve
- Working professionals in NGOs, agencies and government
- Teachers, health workers and community-based volunteers
- Young people seeking entry into the humanitarian and development sector
- Small organisations that need governance and funding capability
- Rural learners in Tonkolili District and surrounding areas
What guides us
Our values
Where we stand
An honest statement of status
SLIHSD is a developing professional learning institution. Accreditation and formal recognition are subject to applicable regulatory approvals, and we will not present ourselves as holding status we have not been granted.
What we offer today is competency-based short-course training delivered by practitioners, together with references to reputable free external learning platforms that learners can use to extend their study. We will publish faculty, partnership and recognition details as and when they are formally in place.
Join a founding cohort that helps shape the Institute
Applications for the Founding Student Intake 2026 are open. Register your interest and we will guide you to the right programme.