A small country on the West African seaboard, Sierra Leone has a population of 4.9 million with 42% of the population under the age of 15 years and 34% between the ages of 15 and 35 years (Statistics Sierra Leone 2005). Sierra Leone is composed of a multitude of African ethnic groups, all of disparate origins and practices. These include the Fullah, Gola, Kissi, Kono, Koranko, Krim, Krio, Limba, Loko, Mandingo, Mende, Sherbro, Susu, Temne, Vai and Yalunka. The two largest ethnic groups – the Mende, largely found in the south, and the Temne, largely in the north – make up an estimated 60% of the population. The Krio, who are the descendants of freed slaves, were settled in the area of Freetown in the late eighteenth century and make up 10% of the total population.