Here's another picture of the tree.

We drove by several different AIDs clinics and outreach programs like this through town. The HIV prevalence in Sierra Leone is 1.5% and has remained at the same level since 2008. This stabilization means the country is rated as one of the least affected compared to others in the sub-region and globally. Before the outbreak of the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone in Apri 2014l, one key area of success in the fight against HIV/AIDS had been in curtailing mother-to-child transmission.

Running this little bodega must make for long days.

Sightsavers is a UK-based international charity which fights avoidable blindness and promotes equal opportunities for visually impaired people. I am not sure what the ribbons signify but they look like wish ribbons and are often tied to church gates.

cocnuts for sale in the market

Traffic moves slow on the streets of Freetown.

Traffic through town was tangled and slow moving

In Freetown at this center of a roundabout surrounded by a concrete fence and adorned with various messaging stands an enormous Cotton Tree. The tree is the city's historic symbol and most famous landmark. The tree is known to have existed in 1787 when the first settlers arrived. It is believed that when a group of former African American slaves, who had gained their freedom by fighting for the British during the American Revolutionary War, landed in Freetown, they apparently rested and prayed underneath the shade of the tree.

Airtel and Africa Cell wireless advertising was seen everywhere

I just loved the composition of this photo snapped from the van window.

The streets of Sierra Leone are full of juxtapositions like these bright colors against earthy tones

I'm not sure if this is one of the faith healing churches that does exorcisms but they certainly have faith in that hill's integrity. :)

So many structures are built slowly and stand in a skeletal state.

The number of men that did not appear to be working in the middle of the workday was significant. Approximately 70% of youth are underemployed or unemployed but the unemployment rate is 3.4% overall (latest data is from 2014 that I could find)

This wall is beautiful.

bamboo scaffolding

We drove by this open area multiple times and every time we did, there was a game of football taking place.

What's interesting about the photos of the Sierra Leone hillsides is the luxurious homes next to shacks and incomplete structures.

What's interesting about the photos of the Sierra Leone hillsides is the luxurious homes next to shacks and incomplete structures.

A wall of bamboo held up by bamboo scaffolding.