Dear
friends,
RE: THE
CHILDREN
Your
consideration of assisting us in the funding of children programmes/projects
is welcome. On behalf of the board, we welcome your team to assess and improve
the effectiveness of interventions.
The Childhelp Sierra Leone needs funding in many areas.
If you
need more information, please do no hesitate to contact us.
Thank
you in this regard. God bless.
Faithfully,
Kaprie
J G Thoronka
N.B.
Attached is a concept proposal prepared for
funding by CHILDHELP SIERRA LEONE.
COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTS
v
War started March 21st
1991
v
Lome
Peace Accord signed on the 7th July 1999 between Revolutionary
Leader Foday Saybana Sankoh of Revolutionary United
Front (RUF –see www.rufp.org) and The
civil President Dr Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the
v
Emergence of the “Forgotten
Generation”
v
During the ten years of conflict,
450,000 people, approximately 10% of the population fled across the borders.
Return movement will peak in year 2002/3.
v
To date, reintegration and
resettlement of some 2.6 Million war affected populations required
v
Estimated 34% of the population
have access to safe water, 12% to sanitation
v
55% of reported 4,000 missing
children in Urban areas are documented as cases of
abduction and the rural went unnoticed as Rebel Force grounds were under-tight
control
v
Health services coverage is, to
date, below 40%(pre-war rate 75%)
v
Maternal mortality is 1,800 per
100,000 live birth
v
Infant and under-five mortality
is 182 and 364 per 1,000 live births
v
Illiteracy rate is an estimated
80% mainly females
A.
CHILDHELP SIERRA LEONE’S PROGRAMME BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION: Childhelp
Sierra Leone, is a Child Welfare Organization designed
specifically to meet both immediate and long-term needs of children, their
families and communities in desperate circumstances. Founded in 1994, Childhelp
Sierra Leone, currently has NGO status in
CHILDHELP
SIERRA LEONE came as a need and desire to address issues of children, their
families and communities about unexpected changes and adverse circumstances
that has hindered their progress, intensified their problems and cause to bear
on them various forms of afflictions and frustration in the rural and
communities without NGO or Governmental support bodies in existence, in
alleviating poverty, helping stem the tide of social disintegration in a wide
varieties of areas and creating productive employment.
The
operation areas have never been supported by any
agencies not even the government of
The
country’s manufacturing sector is dominated by small-scale industries. The
world prices of our major exports are currently depressed and indeed pertinent
to point out that after over forty-one years of political independence and the
expenditure of vast sums of money on expanding the productive sectors and
increasing physical and social infrastructures, the economic remains heavily
dependent on the international market which is very adverse to supplies of raw
materials.
Many
big projects have been initiated in
Most of these projects been financed by the
Government, Other friendly Governments, UN Agencies and other bodies were
implemented through Government Ministries and departments. Unfortunately, they
achieved very little in terms of their set aims and objectives of fostering
national development especially in CHILDHELP SIERRA LEONE area where the bulk
of the population is found.
This
failure is because the planning and implementation stages paid no attention to
the involvement of the masses that know their problems best. This led to the
formation of many local based organisations/associations in the whole country
to address issues of their own communities.
Women
and children included the Aged, are the suffering
masses and empowering them will be the key to solving problems in Childhelp Sierra Leone areas. The needs of all these children
have been and will remain Childhelp Sierra Leone National’s First priority.
Children have been greatly impacted by the eight-year
civil war in
Many
children were also recruited as child soldiers or and been separated from their
families and left orphaned. In addition
to intentional maiming and mutilation, girls also suffer from the threat of
unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth.
Both sexes are vulnerable to the dangers of sexually transmitted
diseases and HIV/AIDS.
Before
the war 2/3 of these women are heads of household and their lives are
characterised by their roles in life-the workload of housework and of the
field. Women, Children and the Aged are the targets of the hunger when food is
scarce.
Culture
and tradition causes unequal rights and subject women to hunger, malnutrition
and heavy duties that results in shortening their life
span. This leads to the formation of CHILDHELP SIERRA LEONE to address issues
affecting children, their families and communities with specific focus in the Bombali District,
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN PROGRAMME
AREA
Childhelp Sierra Leone’s previous
support in programmes areas is a witness to Christ’s with poor people, aiming
at helping them heal, at gaining a wholeness in life with dignity, at building
self-reliance and at challenging injustices in peaceful ways to end hunger and
suffering.
Childhelp Sierra Leone facilitates
programmes based on the proposal and priorities by communities, focussing on
health, education, community development and life-saving skills development.
Affiliated members families take part in community meetings, mobilize community
participation, develop project proposals and oversee the implementation of
projects.
Together, Childhelp
Sierra Leone and the community ensure project quality, evaluate results and
determine impact on families.
The people throughout the
communities know what needs to be done to care of their children; Childhelp Sierra Leone provides the means and the support
to help them put their ideas into practice.
In operation areas, Childhelp Sierra Leone encourage sharing and co-operation,
participate in decision making policies, involving beneficiaries in the
planning, implementation and management of projects, build a community where
men and women share and participate in its development and recognize each
person’s dignity and worth, seek to relieve hunger, disease and suffering while
attacking the root causes, develop and conserve the resources of its land and
water, providing training, create self-reliance of basic needs and develop
interdependence based on justice among members.
Without
Donors and the communities, Childhelp Sierra Leone’s work wont be possible.
HEALTH SYSTEM IN SIERRA LEONE
Malaria, acute
respiratory tract infections, and malnutrition are among the main causes of
infant and under five deaths.
In addition to
the prevailing endermic diseases above, diarrhoea,
vaccine-preventative diseases of tuberculosis, tetanus, whooping cough, and
polio are also among the other main causes of childhood mortality and morbidity.
The country also
has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world: 1800 per 100,000 live
births with direct obstetric causes like obstructed labour, eclampsia,
haemorrhage, and sepsis being major causes.
This supposes
that 3000 women die in the process of child each birth each year.
During the war,
there has being indiscriminately destruction of health infrastructure with the
accompany breakdown of cold chain for EPI Services.
This has led to
very low coverage of the population primary health care services in the whole
country. The
Bombali District in the
The majority of
the rural population is extremely poor and unable to purchase health care.
Consequently, drugs are supplied free of charge. To a sustainable financial
basis for health service utilization, the health Teams will in collaboration
with different organisations, establish a rational and controlled system for
registration at the Primary Health Units, as a first towards a drug cost
recovery system.
To ensure optimal
utilization of available health service, the health dept of CHILDHELP SIERRA
LEONE, will be working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and
Sanitation’s health education unit for social mobilisation and sensitisation.
This will be done in collaboration with VDC’s to
identify approaches to chronic health problems and to ensure community
participation towards the health services in the society.
Ø
To
rehabilitate and to make functional at least 13 community health posts in 6 out
of 13 Chiefdoms in the Bombali District.
Ø
To
reduce morbidity and mortality of under-five children from common childhood
illness by 40%.
Ø
To dewormed rural poor children highly infested with worms
through Treating, teaching and training them to become Agents of Change in
their environment.
Ø
Cooperate
with Line Ministries and NGOs with the same aims and objectives.
Ø
Mobilisation
and sensitisation of volunteers
Ø
Implementation
of District Health plans/policies.
Ø
Conduct
health needs assessments.
Ø
Provide
logistical support to Community health groups.
Ø
Provide
Drugs and medical equipment including logistics to 13 community health posts in
6 chiefdoms whose areas are accessible or not.
Ø
Provide
emergency health care.
Number of Health
personnel and volunteers trained and supported
Policy documents
implemented
Drugs and medical
equipment supplied to community health posts.
Logistics
for monitoring and supervising of Health Care services available.
Reduced
prevalence of endemic diseases.
Increased
utilization of health services.
Increased number
of functioning community health posts.
Increased
number of functioning Village Development Committees.
Improved
management of health information at all levels.
Increased
use of ORT in the management of diarrhoea.
Funds are
needed for the Community health posts (Essential drugs, basic medical
equipment, training, outreach activities, advocacy and technical support,
social mobilisation and project support). For Rapid emergency
preparedness and response (mobile clinic kits and cholera drugs, essential
clinic supplies, mobilisation of volunteers and training, logistics and project
support.
According to 1996
WHO/UNICEF estimates,
The population
has limited access to comprehensive and basic emergency obstetric care due to
inadequate obstetric facilities. Harmful traditional practices by pregnant
women, traditional birth attendants and health staff, including midwives and
MCH Aids in the peripheral health units also contribute. The health facilities
have inadequate obstetric drugs ad supplies, and staffs that are inadequately
trained to offer optimum obstetric care. With weak referral networks and high
hospital costs, the population has not been able to inadequately access
appropriate obstetric care.
The government,
through the MOHS, has acknowledged the scale of the maternal mortality problem
and has demonstrated their commitment to findings a solution.
Childhelp will work in collaboration with the
maternal Mortality Task Force composed of key players in the health sector and
particular, agencies enrolled in the Safe Motherhood Initiative and any other
health agencies international to accomplish its aims and objectives. Full
Proposal to implement such is available upon request.
Ø
To
increase the coverage of Safe Motherhood activities at village level in six
chiefdoms of the Bombali District.
Ø
To
reduce the maternal mortality and maternal morbidity rate by 30% and maternal
morbidity rate by 45%, by the end of the year 2006 in 6 chiefdoms in the Bombali Districts.
Ø
Training
activities in functional community health posts.
Ø
Training
of Traditional Birth Attendances, MCH aids and midwives on Safe Motherhood
program strategy.
Ø
Procuring
and adequately equip community health posts and community TBAs
with delivery equipment.
Ø
Provide
Local community health posts with emergency obstetric drugs.
Ø
Sensitize
and mobilize communities on Safe Motherhood and reproductive health.
Ø
Involve
beneficiaries in the monitoring and supervision of Safe Motherhood activities
within their communities.
Ø
Updates
records and reporting forms on Safe Motherhood and reproductive health.
Ø
Conduct
assessment studies on safe motherhood.
Any agency with
the same aims and objectives
Ø
Number
of delivery kits procured and distributed to TBAs and
MCH Aids.
Ø
Increased
number of prompt referral of emergency obstetric complications to hospitals
from community health posts.
Ø
Increased
number of blood donations from community members.
Ø
Records
for Safe motherhood updated and distributed.
Ø
TBAs and MCH Aids trained on emergency obstetric care.
Ø
Case
fatality rate reduced.
Ø
Number
of Safe Motherhood workshops held.
BUDGET will
be used in the following below;
|
No. |
Cost Category |
|
1 |
Material
development |
|
2 |
Essential Drugs |
|
3 |
Provision of
equipment |
|
4 |
Outreach
Activities/Mobile Clinics |
|
5 |
Social
Mobilisation of volunteers and training |
|
6 |
Studies/Research
and Review |
|
7 |
Monitoring and
Evaluation |
|
8 |
Logistics |
|
9 |
Project Support |
The
widespread nature of malnutrition in the whole country is a manifestation of
prolonged deprivations in access to adequate food, health, safe water and
sanitation facilities, and inability of an estimated 80% of households,
particularly women, to provide appropriate care to their children within the
context of a complex emergency. While the health, water and sanitation sectors
continue to grapple with high incidences of diarrhoea, measles and acute
respiratory infections, which contribute to malnutrition; the food situation
has remained precarious. Most households directly or indirectly affected by the
war, have been exposed to the risk of inability to access food for their
members through sources other than food aid. The minimum wage of those who have
been lucky to retain their jobs, meets only 36% of the staple food bills, and
most farmers have had to consume their seed stock.
Childhelp Sierra Leone wants to run
Therapeutic-feeding Centres to admit 20-30 malnourished children per day in
the Bombali District Northern region. Schools opened
by Childhelp Sierra Leone that are non-formal will
become also a targets site for wet feeding. In many areas, anaemia in pregnancy
is a problem for 83% of women as revealed by the National Survey conducted in
1998. Many nursing mothers are experiencing lactation failure.
Before the war Childhelp Sierra Leone introduce
gardening, food processing and income generation activities in communities. The
project should be restarted affected by this war. Our expected outputs will be
the reduction of risks of mortality from diarrhoea, measles and acute
respiratory infections through Vitamin A supplementation, risks of malnutrition
and improve nutrition status of displaced lactating and pregnant women and
children.
Ø
To
sensitised the communities on the importance of vitamin A supplementation in
children and iron supplementation in pregnant women chiefdom wide.
Ø
To
reduce the prevalence of moderate and severe malnutrition in children in 6
high-risk chiefdoms in the Bombali district from 20%
to 15% through community based nutrition education and household food security
promotion efforts implemented within the primary health care framework.
Ø
Training
of volunteers and communities involving animated women’s groups on reducing the
risks of mortality from diarrhoea, measles and acute respiratory infections and
addressing anaemia in pregnancy through community based iron supplementation
schemes.
Ø
Establishing
of institutional feeding centres to promote rehabilitation of malnourished
children. This will require the provision of basic feeding utensils, nutrition
surveillance equipment and supplies, nutrition education and materials, and
training of community Public Health Units and Community Health management
Committee workers to promote screening, exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate
complementary feeding, home health care, and hygiene practices. Nutrition protocols standardised by the Food
and Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation will be
produced for the training.
Ø
Developing
of a social mobilisation strategy and community radio programs established, to
raise awareness about the health, nutrition and other social problems of
children and women, their causes, and how they can be prevented. This will be
extended to 6 chiefdoms within the Bombali district
of the
Ø
Support
Gardening, food processing and income generating activities of 30 women groups
within Bombali District.
Ø
Restoring
of self-reliance in food supplies for 1,500 vulnerable households and promote active participation of the women who are the
primary care givers in assessing malnutrition in their children, analysing the
causes, and responding to the nutrition problems and needs on a sustainable
basis.
Any
funding agency, Government of Sierra Leone, local communities and women groups.
Ø
Number
of volunteers and communities involving animated women’s groups on reducing the
risks of mortality and hygiene practices trained.
Ø
Risks of mortality from diarrhoea, measles and
acute respiratory infections reduced through workshops and training activities
on Vitamin A ad Iron supplementation chiefdom wide reduced.
Ø
Malnutrition
risk of children under 5 reduced.
Ø
Nutritional
status of lactating and pregnant women improved.
Ø
Risks
of anaemia in lactating and pregnant women reduced.
Ø
Self-reliance
of 1,500 vulnerable households.
Ø
Promotion
of active participation of women beneficiaries.
Ø
Numbers
of institutional feeding centres established.
BUDGET – Proposed budget finance will be used in the
following below:
Nutrition equipment, Nutrition supplies, Food
and Nutrition Material production and training of community health workers,
Food production and processing weaning recipes, Micro-credits to women groups,
Community Animation/Social Mobilisation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Logistics,
and Project Support.
WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAMME
The ten years of
civil war, caused
To address this
issue, Childhelp Sierra Leone need finds NGOs
Partners, networks and funding agencies to work in cooperation with community
members to focus on the provision of adequate safe water and sanitation to the
population returning home, villages, community schools and community health centers.
With the
97% of the water
treatment plants in the country currently are not working due to the high costs
involved and the lack of chemicals. It is worth mentioning that the technology
applied in developing/constructing these treatment plants is very expensive and
requires high running and operation costs. In few of our operational areas,
there are no treatment plants nor dams but old wells dug by the people
themselves.
Chlorination activities
of both non-traditional and traditional water sources will be vigorously
pursued with the training of well owners and Blue Flag Volunteers to prevent
outbreak of diarrhoea diseases.
Childhelp is repairing damaged wells and hand pumps
more effectively in the rural poor. Most of the wells funded by the government
and International agencies or funders did not make a
provision for repairs. Construction of wells with a new hand pump on it cost
over USD $ 5,000
The Government of
Sierra Leone does not have the necessary capacity to repair and maintain the
broken systems in the country due to the collapse of the economy. It is
therefore required that humanitarian assistance is needed for Childhelp Sierra Leone to help the community in averting
humanitarian crisis that has been looming for the past year.
Ø To increase access to
safe drinking water supply in selected communities, schools and Public Health
Units in the rural poor unnoticed.
Ø
To
provide access to proper hygiene and sanitation facilities within communities
in the provinces selected and where ever wells are repaired and or repaired.
Ø
To
promote positive hygiene practices to enhance healthy lifestyles especially in
institutions and poor health underdeveloped villages.
Ø
To
prevent the incidence of cholera and reduces the case fatality rates of the
diseases.
Childhelp
Sierra Leone assistance
in water ad sanitation will be directed to selected schools, PHUs, vulnerable groups and communities in need in the
North, East and South provincial areas. Chlorination activities of both
non-traditional and traditional water sources will be vigorously pursued with
the training of well owners and Blue-flag Volunteers to prevent outbreak of
diarrhoea diseases.
Focused
objectives in the rural zones:
Ø
Constructions
of newly water dug wells;
Ø
Rehabilitation/repairing
of damaged hand-dug wells and hand pumps;
Ø
Construction
of 4 gravity fed schemes from ground water sources, to serve population
clusters/centres in the range of 800- 4000 people.
Ø
Establishment
of cost recoverable, community owned and run management system;
Ø
Manufacturing
of a low-cost hand-pumps and procurement of necessary equipment/machinery and
spares;
Ø
Construction
of low cost latrines for community schools, health centers,
households and public places;
Ø
Training
of teachers/extension workers in hygiene promotional activities;
Ø
Training
of community people in hygiene and sanitation and hand-pumps repairs;
Ø
Establishment
of a spare sales center;
Ø
Training
of Watsan/Village development committee members; and
Ø
Facilitate
chlorination of wells to reduce outbreak of cholera diseases.
Government
of
Ø
Number
of community motivators trained to promote hygiene education at rural level in
the Bombali, Kono and Koinadugu District.
Ø
Number
of Village Development Committees (VDCs) trained to
mobilise communities for improved water supply, hygiene and sanitation.
Ø
Number
of damage wells and hand pumps repaired.
Ø
Number
of schools, community health centers, and households
having access to safe water and adequate sanitation.
Ø
Number
of functioning rehabilitated and protected wells.
Ø
Increased
number of chlorinated wells.
Ø
Reduced
incidence of diarrhoea diseases including cholera.
Ø
Reduced
case fatality from diarrhoea diseases.
Construction
materials for wells, submersible pumps, generators and pumps with accessories,
equipment and machinery; GI and PVC pipes, fittings and accessories; Capacity
Building and training of 100 hand pump mechanics, School teachers, Youths,
Community members etc; Construction of 300 low cost latrines; Social
Mobilisation; Chlorine powder, Water Quality Monitoring System and
Chlorination;
Develop community
framework, undertake comprehensive assessment and prepare a regional Plan of
Action; Technical assistance and consultancies; Operational cost; and Programme
support 10%.
The war greatly
affected the physical and psycho-social lives of many children and youths in
To address some
of these problems, the Ministry of youths, Education and Sports (MYES) has
initiated a programme of free education for all children in the first three
years of primary education and assistance in the form of supplies for the next
3 years. Through this reimbursable procure system, UNICEF has made it possible
for the Ministry to purchase a large quantity of classroom supplies to support
this initiative.
The organisations
find out that the government is not meeting the need of over 500,000 children
and youth. Even those they are caring for are not giving the maximum support
according to their education policy. This has brought commotion between those
school authorities and parents. Those in the rural are abandoned and left out
in the race.
CHILDHELP SIERRA
LEONE will work with NGOs in the revitalization and rehabilitation of
educational facilities for basic education, capacity building of youths, social mobilization and community sensitisation for active
participation in the education programmes. School kits/supplies needed are
provided to learning centers in areas where
communities and government support is minimal.
OBJECTIVES:
Ø
To
enable 20,000 children commence/re-commence schooling within their communities
by December 2006;
Ø
To
respond to the emergency needs of 5,000 war affected children, adolescent girls
and boys and youths in formal and non-formal institutions in the rural;
Ø
To
strengthen the local communities/Village Development Committees and other
groups in the communities to provide basic education for children, adolescents,
youths and adult women.
Ø
To
bridge the international digital divide in primary and secondary institutions
in
Ø
Conduct
a district-wide survey on the enrolment status of children 3-12 years.
Ø
Collaborate
with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) to provide an
accelerated learning programme (Non-formal education) for over-aged children
who have missed out of schooling because of the past war.
Ø
Rehabilitate
and construct school facilities, provide necessary school materials with close
coordination with MYES and funding agencies.
Ø
Identify
education institutions needing health, nutrition, water and sanitation and
child protection programme supports.
Ø
Train
teachers/facilitators for Non-formal institutions with topics on Peace
education, human rights, emergency preparedness and counselling techniques.
Ø
Provide
support for youth groups for vocational and life-saving skills programmes.
Ø
Carry
out studies of impact of the project and relevant issues of the day annually.
Ø
Support
social mobilisation and community sensitisation programmes for education of
children and youth groups.
Ø
Develop,
produce and procure culturally relevant and gender sensitive facts-for-life
materials for Non-formal institutions.
Ø
Strengthen
schools and communities relationships.
PARTNERSHIP
MEST,
NGOs, INGOs and funding bodies.
Ø
Number
of functioning schools supplied with teaching and learning materials.
Ø
Number
of children enrolled.
Ø
Number
of temporary schools constructed.
Ø
Number
of permanent schools rehabilitated.
Ø
Number
of teachers/facilitators provided with in-service training.
Ø
Number
of out-of-school children enrolled.
Ø
Percentage
of girl pupils enrolled in both formal and non-formal schools.
Ø
Number
of youth groups trained in life-saving and productive skills.
Ø
Number
of youth animators trained.
Ø
Number
of supervisory and monitoring visits made to educational to educational
institutions.
Ø
Availability
of data.
Ø
Number
of co-ordinating meetings held.
Budget will be used on the
following;
Material development for
various programmes; Training, supplies & equipment for all various
programmes; Social mobilisation; Emergency education response to all target
groups in war affected areas; Rehabilitation of school facilities; Intersectoral activities in education centres;
sensitisation and animation of youth groups; Studies/Review/Research;
Monitoring and evaluation; and Programme support 10%.
Ø To ensure the respect and fulfilment of
the rights of children affected by the war as expressed in the Convention on
the Rights of the Child and in other international human rights instruments.
Ø To ensure the reunification and
reintegration of all separated children (including those associated with the
fighting forces).
Ø To ensure the provision of psychosocial
services for all war affected children and support for the sensitisation and
mobilisation of communities on the protection needs of the children.
ACTIVITIES
Ø
Appeal
for support for children who were associated with the war and fighting forces.
Ø
Community
Sensitisation activity on the CRC.
Ø
Community
orphanage support – giving of monthly support to children – education, health,
housing, etc.
Ø
Established
Permanent care centre – Orphanage/Home for orphans and destitute.
Ø
Psychosocial
activity for war affected children.
Ø
Community
and family reintegration and programme for children in the street - education,
skills training, income generation and access to health.
Ø
Supporting
of sexually abused girl-children ad child-mothers.
Ø
Monitoring
and reporting on gross child rights violations.
Donors
and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Social Welfare, Gender and
Children’s Affairs.
CHILDREN
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME:
(child sponsorship, Foster caring and child amputee project.
The Rebel war in
According to
UNICEF, it is over 10,000 children were separated from their families including
approximately 5,000 children who were abducted and conscripted into the armed
forces. Over the years, through extensive work by child protection agencies,
many of these children have been reunified but thousands more continued to wait
reunification due to lack of funds.
Childhelp Sierra Leone is a member of the Child
Protection Committee. The Child Protection Network under the Chairmanship of
the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs have developed
structures and programmes to address the needs of separated children,
reintegration of children, violations of children’s rights and the emergency
needs of thousands of sexually abused girls.
A holistic
approach to the reintegration of separated children will be applied to
incorporate access to basic services which may be unavailable or which are in
need of strengthening such as Formal or Non-formal education, primary health
care, nutrition and household food security, and safe water.
The Convention on
the Rights of the Child will be the instrument for all activities in relation
to the protection of the child. The dissemination, monitoring ad implementation
of the Convention will be carried out at all levels. Monitoring and reporting
of gross violations against children will be carried out through a network of
community-based programmes.
THE NEED
There are many children who have had limbs amputated
and other physical injuries in
THE GOAL
The primary goal of the Programme is to establish
training centers in
There are many children in
The primary goal of the Child Sponsorship Programme
is to help provide economic assistance to children who have been abandoned or
separated from their families due to extreme hardship, war, and poverty. The purpose of the assistance is to prevent
the child from further abandonment or living on the streets for basic
survival. The monthly assistance
provided would be in the form of food staples, clothing, medical care and
educational expenses for children identified as being at risk. An effort would be made to identify street children with
families living in the locality who can be reunited with their families through
assistance.
A lone-term goal would be to provide education and
opportunities to help these identified children eventually establish their own
means of self- support in adulthood.
This will help to foster positive self-esteem for the children by
encouraging self-sufficiency. The Child
Sponsorship Programme will be designed to give temporary assistance, as it is the
desire of Childhelp Sierra Leone. to
provide avenues for long-term self-support.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives for the Child
Sponsorship Programme is implemented as financial resources are
available. The programme started small, with twenty (20) children and grow to
accommodate as many children as possible and has now registered 4300
poverty-stricken children but no assisting them all yet.
Ø Provide monthly assistance for children
and eventually as funds are available, many more children will be supported as
resources allow. These children
identified are abandoned, orphaned or separated from their families and
identified jointly by the Child Welfare Department and Childhelp
Sierra Leone’s Country Director in
Ø Work to provide foster families,
educational fees, and living expenses for
Ø children in the programme.
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES
Ø Work together with Sierra Leone Child
Welfare officials and identifying needy children. The criteria for accepting
children into this programme are restricted to children who are orphans (at
least one parent deceased), abandoned, or unaccompanied. The programme work to assist those children
who need assistance to avoid living on the streets or being further abandoned.
Ø Assess each child’s needs and family situation
and identify the areas most urgently needing assistance.
Ø Initiate a well-organized program for
providing monthly economic or educational assistance for each child identified
and selected, assistance may be given in the form of food staples, clothing,
financial assistance, and/or educational expenses.
Ø Providing follow-up visits to each child
on a monthly basis to ensure effectiveness of the program.
Ø Assist child with efforts to identify and
establish a long-term plan for education, training, and future income for
eventual self-sufficiency.
Ø
It is
hoped that children will be assisted according to available funds in the
programme. It is hoped that with each successive year of operation the number
of children assisted would increase. As
children and families are enable to become
self-supporting, their involvement in this temporary/permanent assistance
program would end, thus allowing other children and families to benefit.
Childhelp Sierra Leone,
INPUT
Ø Provide materials necessary to carry out
project.
Ø Provide social workers (s) to visit and
report on children involved in this program.
Very strict accountability will be required and only committed dedicated
staffs are recruited for these positions.
Ø Report monthly to financial donors regarding progress
of sponsored child. Again, very strict
accountability are required.
Ø Network with appropriate government
officials and other care agencies/institutions regarding Childhelp
Sierra Leone‘s presence and function.
THE NEED IN SIERRA LEONE
1.
THE GOAL
The goal of Childhelp
Sierra Leone is to work with the Sierra Leonean government, NGOs, INGOs, Missions and agencies for the welfare of abandoned
and orphaned infants or children who are in immediate need of intensive living
care, and who need a long-term plan involving permanent placement in a family
for their best future. Childhelp Sierra Leone considers long-term institutional
care a last resort and prefers to assist these infants/children through
temporary, transitional care while at the same time developing a plan for a
permanent, loving family environment in which the children will grow and
flourish or place them in orphanages. Efforts will be focused on promoting
national and international adoption for those children who will best be helped
through adoption.
OBJECTIVES
Ø Infants or children who have been
abandoned or orphaned and identified by the Sierra Leone Child Welfare
Department are also referred to Childhelp Sierra
Leone for referral to an adoptive home either in
Ø Infants or children accepted into care by Childhelp Sierra Leone are being placed in temporary foster
homes and given the financial support necessary to provide all the milk, food,
clothing, shelter, medical care, love and nurture necessary to ensure their
survival and growth.
Ø A long – term plan are made for each child
to be placed in a loving family environment.
Childhelp Sierra Leone seek
adoptive homes within
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES
Ø Establishment of approved foster homes for
the orphaned children.
Ø Assistance (material and financial)
through concerned individuals, prospective adoptive families, churches, welfare
agencies and businesses.
Ø Work together with Sierra Leone government
officials to identify abandoned, street and orphaned children of all ages who
may benefit from adoption – especially those child amputees and war wounded who
are orphans and would gain a loving family and further opportunities for
rehabilitation through adoption national and internationally.
Ø Work with parents and adoption agencies to
get state-licensed international. Adoption homestudies
(and other relevant legal documents) on prospective families to Sierra Leone’s
Child Welfare Director for approval in compliance with the laws and governance
of Sierra Leone’s adoption laws.
Ø Employ a small, yet devoted staff
comprised of at least one social worker and one adoption attorney who will
provide specific services and process the adoptions through
Childhelp Sierra Leone
INPUT
Ø Monthly operational cost including food,
milk, staff salaries, to be covered by Childhelp
Sierra Leone.
Ø All foster families, adoption advocates,
and social work staff
selected, employed and directed by Childhelp
Sierra Leone under the guidelines of the
Ø Network with the
Ø Provide facilitation of adoptions by Childhelp Sierra Leone’s attorney through the courts in
Ø Provide photographs and quarterly
post-placement reports the first year of a child’s placement and yearly
post-placement reports after that until the child reaches the age of 18 to the
Department of Child Welfare detailing how the child is progressing in his/her
new adoptive home.
TYPE OF CHILDREN: Victims of warVictims of povertyVictims of abuse Victims of accidents Victims of abandonmentVictims of illness PROJECTS NEEDED FOR CHILDREN AFTER THIS WAR: OrphanageSchoolVocational trainingSports/CafeteriaLoansChurch/ChapelFeeding programs for neighbourhood childrenEducational program for neighbourhood children NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN:Food – rice, bulgur, CSB, vegetable oil, protein etc
Clothing
- New or Used Clothing (must be in good
condition!)
Drug Store items (almost any nonprescription item you can buy)
Medical Equipment and Supplies
Infant supplies
BedsMattressesStudy booksStationaryArts supplies
Bicycles- for those out of the centerHouse construction – for those whose parents are poor and can’t afford and Living in battered homeMonthly child support – USD 45 or less.
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