YMCA profile
Date of foundation of the YMCA: 1912
Full/Associate/Related Membership in the World Alliance of YMCAs: Associate
Full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs since: 1981
Number of local Associations: 21 branches
Number of total members and
participants (all over the country): 1,000
Men: 550
Women: 300
Under 30: 150

Mission statement
To bring together Young People whether by age or by attitude or different traditions, race or colour into the World Wide Fellowship of the Young Men's Christian Association, through which they may grow as Christians participating in the life, worship and growth of the Church expressing their Christian Faith by word and deed.

During those days, he met people like the Late Mr. M.E.A. Davies who was one time National Chairman and contributed in the formation of three Branches namely: Freetown, Kissy and Cline Town. A building was eventually rented at N0. 4 Pultney Street in Freetown which housed the office of the Association.

A Commercial School was established with foreign aid and regular outings were organised as the years went by.

In 1978, the then National Chairman, the Late Mr. M.E.A. Davies made contacts with the German YMCA to help in putting the Sierra Leone YMCA on a sound pedestal. A Partnership was then created and this resulted in the advent of a Fraternal Secretary Mr. Erich Kotnik in January 1979 and the employment of a full time National General Secretary Mr. Eben Whenzle in March 1979.

History
The Sierra Leone YMCA was founded by the Late Dr. I.C. Pratt in 1912. It started with few devoted Christians who met regularly for Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings. Their meetings took a rotational form ie from house to house of every member.

No one can clearly recount how they got the idea of a YMCA but one would envisage that a few of them must have heard, read or seen YMCA somewhere . The house meetings which started in 1912 eventually changed to a public one.

Meetings were conducted at the Freetown Community Centre, opposite Rokel Commercial Bank at Siaka Stevens Street where we now have the Reliance Insurance Trust Corporation.

The Group extended its programmes and activities and in 1915 the first Boxing Day Sports was organised at the then recreational grounds now National Stadium at Brookfields.

Before the 2nd World War, a building situated at the corner of Trelawney Street and Oxford Street in Freetown now Lamina Sankoh and Lightfoot Boston Streets respectively and opposite the Wesley Church housed the YMCA.

Regular meetings were conducted in that building and the Association also ran a canteen which became very famous for war stricken Sea Men, Members of the Navy and Armed Forces whilst in transit. Unfortunately as the years went by things took a different turn as the Association was no longer viable.

However, a young YMCA Professional by the name of Dr. Henshaw from the United Kingdom visited Sierra Leone to help with the Association's work. He even developed a Boys Section.

Much was not heard about the YMCA until 1976 when a member of the YMCA in the United States of America, Mr. Waldo Keck visited Sierra Leone and was concerned with the deplorable state of the Association.