On January 2, 2026, the 26th Chinese medical team to Sierra Leone delivered supplies to the Saint George Foundation Children’s Welfare Institute in Freetown, bringing New Year gifts that included rice, bread, snacks and daily necessities to vulnerable children. The donation underscores decades of health-oriented cooperation between China and Sierra Leone, combining humanitarian support with ongoing medical outreach.
Led by Liu Longfei, the head of the medical team, the visit was framed as both an act of care and a gesture of friendship. Liu expressed hope for the children’s future, describing them as “successors in building Sierra Leone and inheritors of China-Sierra Leone friendship.” The team has also regularly provided free healthcare services using traditional Chinese medical techniques, contributing to better health and well-being for the children over time.
Justina Zainab Conteh, executive director of the Saint George Foundation, thanked the Chinese government and medical personnel for their support, highlighting that such contributions improve not only daily life but also the long-term health prospects of children in the welfare home.
This latest donation builds on a broader trajectory of China-Sierra Leone cooperation in public health and medical services that has spanned decades. China has consistently deployed medical teams to Sierra Leone to offer consultations, treatment and training – including free clinics for children on the Day of the African Child that have combined medical check-ups with cultural exchange activities and school supplies.
In addition to direct care, China’s health cooperation in Sierra Leone includes institutional partnerships such as the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, a Chinese-funded facility in Jui near Freetown. Built with support from the Chinese government and completed in 2012, the hospital has been a central point of clinical service, diagnostic capacity, and emergency response, serving Sierra Leoneans throughout the recent Ebola epidemic and ongoing public health efforts.
China has also provided support for epidemic response and biosafety initiatives: Chinese technical experts assigned to Sierra Leone’s fixed biosafety laboratory helped conduct testing and disease surveillance during the country’s mpox outbreak, contributing to successful containment efforts by late 2025.
Humanitarian efforts such as the donation to the children’s home reflect the people-to-people dimension of China-Africa relations, where health and welfare cooperation complements economic, educational and infrastructural ties. These engagements enhance mutual understanding and build goodwill, particularly when support reaches vulnerable populations like orphans and children in need.
China’s deployment of medical teams across Africa is part of this broader approach. Similar drives have taken place in countries such as South Sudan, where Chinese medical teams have delivered gifts and care including mooncakes and powdered milk to orphanages – as part of cultural celebrations and regular health outreach campaigns.
For Sierra Leone, continued medical cooperation with China contributes to improved access to essential health services, capacity building, and community support, particularly for children and underserved groups. For China, such partnerships help solidify a narrative of collaborative development that extends beyond traditional diplomacy into daily life and grassroots welfare.
