Thousands of Sierra Leoneans were maimed, or deliberately mutilated, during the civil war. Thousands more contracted polio during the war years while vaccinations were unavailable. Because of damage done to the country's medical infrastructure, even the victims of routine injuries have gone largely untreated.

New Steps Centre
Recognising an unprecedented need in Sierra Leone, Mercy Ships established a land-based centre in Freetown, the capital city, in January 2000. Mercy Ships New Steps was created to meet the rehabilitation and community development needs of the nation's disabled through holistic physical rehabilitation, healthcare, personal development and community development services.

Initially, skilled technicians worked out of a prosthetics and orthotics workshop built into a 40-foot seagoing cargo container delivered by the Mercy Ship Anastasis. In 2005, the New Steps Centre was opened near Waterloo, just outside Freetown. In keeping with Mercy Ships long tradition of sustainable community development, most of the staff are Sierra Leone nationals. They are supported by international volunteers serving in Africa on both a long and short-term basis.

New Steps Programmes
New Steps provides services under the following departments:
• Rehabilitation –- physical therapy and the creation of assistive devices
• Health Care Services –- basic medical care for the mobility-impaired and their families
• Personal Development –- literacy, emotional and spiritual counselling, vocational training, and a programme to integrate the handicapped into local schools
• Community Development –- agricultural training and construction