2025 Annual Report
Ngolahun NOW II
Letter from the Executive Director:
In 2025, our work at One Village Partners was guided by a simple but powerful idea: Doing more together.
I saw the meaning of those words clearly during my first visit to Sierra Leone in November 2025. In Kambama village, I stood watching families collect water from a solar-powered system that now provides clean, safe water to more than 1,300 people each day. As Chief Kenneth reflected on the transformation, he told me, “OVP didn’t do it for us. You walked with us. You sharpened us.” His words captured the heart of community-led development: partnership that strengthens communities to lead their own progress.
When I returned to Sierra Leone in February 2026, I saw that same spirit through the women participating in our Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program. In 2025 alone, 1,000 women in Kono District graduated from NOW 1 and 2, building the skills, confidence, and economic opportunities that strengthen families and communities for the long term.
In 2025, we also welcomed Aminata Kamara as OVP’s first Sierra Leonean Country Director, an important milestone for our organization. Aminata has quickly demonstrated thoughtful program leadership, strong support for staff, and a clear commitment to advancing OVP’s community-led development approach. We look forward to seeing the impact of One Village Partners in Sierra Leone grow under her direction.
In the midst of these successes, the past year has been an unexpectedly turbulent one across the international development sector. In that context, we are especially grateful for the commitment of our supporters, both longtime partners who have journeyed with us over years, and those newly joining the OVP community. Your compassion for the people of Sierra Leone and belief in their potential to lead change has been a profound encouragement, and this work absolutely would not be possible without you!
As we move forward, in 2026 we are spending time refocusing the core tenants of OVP: why we exist as an organization, what do we do, and how do we do it. Within this we also embrace a new theme for the year ahead:
It starts with one village.
Because lasting change always begins with a community ready to lead, empowered and supported by partners ready to walk beside them. We invite you to continue this journey with us as together we partner with villages in Sierra Leone to live, grow, and thrive.
Nicole Johnson
Executive Director
Nicole in Forlu
Letter from the Country Director:
As I reflect on 2025, I am reminded that meaningful change is built on trust, strong partnerships, and the leadership of communities themselves. Despite ongoing challenges in the non-profit sector, this year has offered inspiring examples of collective action across the communities we serve. We have witnessed a commitment that goes beyond completing project cycles; one where communities are actively bringing their visions of thriving futures to life.
At One Village Partners, our commitment to community-led development remains at the heart of everything we do, and one of the most powerful aspects of our work is our emphasis on community leadership. Communities have defined, shaped, and validated their priorities collectively, working together to bring their initiatives to life. I have witnessed communities build on the resources provided by One Village Partners while mobilizing additional support from members within and beyond their villages to complete their projects. These actions demonstrate a deep commitment to shared goals and strengthen collaboration between communities and our team.
I also saw firsthand how participants in the Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program described it as a transformative experience—one that has strengthened their confidence, supported their families, and equipped them with the knowledge and networks needed to become trusted leaders in community development. At the same time, many women emphasized the need for greater access to financial resources to translate their learning into action and achieve true financial independence. In response, participants are increasingly asking how they can sustain and build upon their skills and knowledge. This is a question we are actively exploring alongside them, as we co-create ideas and initiatives that respond to their evolving priorities in real time.
These achievements are made possible by the dedication of our staff, the leadership and determination of community members, and the steadfast support of our donors and partners. I am deeply grateful for your continued belief in our mission and your commitment to walking alongside communities as they lead their own development journeys.
As we look ahead to 2026, we remain focused on deepening our impact in rural communities and closing the gap between communities and the resources they need to thrive. We will continue to center community voices and leadership in all that we do. Together, we can build stronger, more resilient communities and create lasting change.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Aminata Kamara
Country Director
Aminata speaking with Bandajuma NOW participants
Our Mission
At One Village Partners, our mission is to enhance collective wellbeing across Sierra Leone by investing in people and communities through partnerships.
Our Vision
We envision a future where Sierra Leoneans amplify their collective power to lead transformational change in their communities.
Why is our work needed?
One Village Partners exists to address the deep barriers to health, education, and economic security facing rural communities in Sierra Leone, grounded in decades-long relationships that revealed both the need and the possibility for lasting change.
How do we do it?
One Village Partners’ work is rooted in the values of partnership, listening, community-led, respect, and sustainability; building trusted relationships, centering community voices, and supporting solutions communities can sustain over time.
What do we offer?
Through three programs, ACT, NOW, and LEAD, One Village Partners’ works alongside communities to turn priorities into action, strengthen local leadership, improve health and economic well-being, and build the inclusive systems needed to support lasting change.
Manokoh NOW Group 2
2025 Impact Report
Our programs are built around the belief that thriving rural communities have the following ingredients: social cohesion, inclusive leadership, gender equity, resiliency and healthcare & wellbeing. We work with our partner communities to inclusively monitor and evaluate whether our programs are achieving these goals. Our programs create impact by meeting basic needs, through skills building, and by connecting communities to create grassroots action for change.
Dennis Saffa, Tentihun
Inclusive Leadership
99% of NOW participants and male relatives share financial decisions at household level
6% of NOW participants gained leadership position after the program
Social Cohesion
90% of households made monetary contributions to community projects
96% of of NOW Household Finance training participants shared the learning materials with someone outside the program
Gender Equity
99.6% of women have household incoming savings
75% of women own/run a business
90% of male relatives collaborated with wife on a shared task
55% of community meeting speakers are women
Health & Wellbeing
69% reduction in diarrhea and 77% improved access to safe drinking water in communities implementing water, sanitation and hygiene projects
Resiliency
$9,737 estimated combined savings of NOW: Household Finance training participants
79,634
people reached through partnership
1,000
partner communities in Sierra Leone
349
active trained community leaders
new participants in Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) programs
69
Expansion to Bombali District
In 2024, One Village Partners and Africa Uplifted began talking about the full merging of their operations. OVP has been working in the eastern part of Sierra Leone, while Africa Uplifted operated in the north. One Village Partners officially took over all Africa Uplifted’s operations in 2025 and will be expanding its women’s empowerment program into 3 new communities: Manonkoh, Konta, and Rosenti, all in Sherry Chiefdom, Bombali district.
ACT Program Highlights
In 2025, four partner communities celebrated collaboratively designing and implementing grassroot projects that improved access to hygiene and sanitation facilities across Nyangbe-Bo, Nikabu, Njala Mandu and Nyadehun Junction. These projects are a part of our Community Action Program (ACT).
In rural Sierra Leone, limited access to clean water and sanitation fuels disease and deepens poverty. Community-driven infrastructure is a critical first step toward healthier communities and improved quality of life.
communities benefitting from ACT programs to date
33
176
drophole latrines constructed
community members gained access to clean drinking water
4
clean water wells constructed
1,140
ACT Project - Konabu
NOW Participants, Kono
NOW Program Highlights
NOW: Household Financial Management and Business Skills Development
In 2025, we expanded our Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW) program into Kono District, reaching 1,000 rural women through direct training to improve their income and business skills. As women strengthened their knowledge, skills and livelihoods, the impact spread to the 8,535 members of their families and communities.
Mariama Jimmikay, Kono
NOW Session II, Ngeihun
NOW Participants, Gbeikor
NOW: AgriBusiness
In Kortima, Ngadohun, and Nyadehun Junction communities of Kailahun District, we and the Ministry of Agriculture trained 90 rural women in climate-smart farming to improve income and food security by cultivating IVS areas.
In addition, 21 women-led farming cooperatives were registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Association of Farmers Sierra Leone and Kailahun District Council.
LEAD Program Highlights
In Majoe, Kailahun District, community members celebrated a special milestone: the opening of a six-classroom Community Primary School. Launched as a Leadership, Engagement, and Development (LEAD) project in 2022, it provides direct access to primary education for girls and boys in Majoe and neighboring villages.
The project also represents the people of Majoe coming together to realize their longstanding vision for community wellbeing.
Most Significant Change Story
The traditional leadership in Kodibu, Sierra Leone, once marginalized youth with forced labor and excluded them from decision-making. When One Village Partners (OVP) introduced an inclusive leadership model, community member Sao Brima helped drive a powerful, merit-based transformation that overcame initial elder resistance. Read on to see how this shift led to the abolition of forced labor, empowered the youth's Kondibu Youth Development Club, and sparked community-wide development.
2025 Financial Summary
Revenue Breakdown
Total Revenue: $927,987
Expenses Breakdown
Total Expenses: $1,373,430
