How do communities truly recover from crises? How do they rebuild trust, resilience, and a sense of normalcy? These are the driving questions behind the AFTER THE END Project, investigating the long-term effects of crises on individuals, communities, and institutions. By prioritising lived experiences, this initiative aims to inspire recovery strategies that are inclusive, sustainable, and community driven.

Recently, we convened a workshop in Sierra Leone, bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, university lecturers, survivors of the Ebola epidemic and 2017 mudslides, and representatives from NGOs and government. Together, we explored Sierra Leone’s recovery journey and discussed critical themes such as trust-building, lived temporality, and the lasting mental health impacts of crises.

Key Insights-
Professor Osman Sankoh (Mallam O.), co-Principal Investigator of After the End for Sierra Leone, challenged us to rethink the traditional “beginning-middle-end” model of crisis response and focus instead on the enduring impacts of crises on communities and institutions.

From the discussions, we identified several actionable steps to drive recovery:

Scaling community-led recovery initiatives grounded in local knowledge.
Prioritizing mental health and economic resilience in recovery strategies.
Strengthening partnerships between local communities and international stakeholders to sustain long-term recovery.

What’s Next?
This gathering was more than a discussion—it was a commitment to action. With the After the End group visiting Freetown in December, we’re ready to translate these insights into strategies that reflect the lived realities of those we aim to support.

This is how we move forward: together, grounded in trust, resilience, and community leadership.