In the urban area of the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, livemore than 1 million people: 70% of them live below the poverty line and have no access to basic services, and 50% of the population is malnourished. During and after the civil war that has afflicted Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2001, 60% of the population was forced to leave their placeof origin: Freetown and its suburbs attracted most of the displaced, further reducing the already scarce resources available.