Network Support for Peace Education, Sierra Leone

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• To promote sustainable rural Agricultural productivity with specific reference to Gender mainstreaming on nutrition in Sierra Leone

• To improve the health status of vulnerable people in the rural communities of Sierra Leone

• To improve the Livelihood status of Less Privilege women and young people in various Chiefdoms in Moyamba District

• Facilitate shared forum for replication best practices on agriculture in relation to Gender integration

• Provide Advocacy platform among young people and their communities in Sierra Leone.

CORE VALUES:

• Local Solutions – Our success comes from solutions created with the people we serve.
• Partnerships – Partnerships deepen our impact and promote empowerment.
• Results – Our work must transform lives and make them measurably better. How that change occurs is as important as the change itself.

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO IMPROVING NUTRITION IN SIERRA LEONE

NeSPE has provided technical assistance, training and mentoring to Community and local groups in on improving Nutrition in Sierra Leone:

• Visioning and valuation-facilitating the development of organization-wide commitment to enhanced communications through Gender sensitive Technology that empowers women and young people in Sierra Leone
• Participatory assessment and monitoring of information and communications management capabilities, needs and opportunities for women, young people and their communities on best agronomic practices in the production, processing and marketing of value added products like cassava, groundnut and maize
• Information and communications mapping to plot information resources and flows among women, young people and their communities on Gender mentoring on Agriculture
• Communications planning to construct innovative and appropriate strategies to enhance women and youth development in agro based business
• Fostering internal and external networking with children, women and young people on replication of best agricultural practices

BACKGROUND

The Country Strategic Plan (2015-2020) of NeSPE Sierra Leone identifies the lack of access to quality education, Lack improved Agricultural practices, poor Environmental conditions, and low capacity of poor parents to support children and unfavourable physical and socio-cultural environment as major problems facing the majority of children in Sierra Leone. In its response to this dire situation of Sierra Leone’s children, NeSPE Sierra Leone has over the year implemented a number of projects under its Renewed Gender and nutrition programme, with the aim of providing access to quality basic Gender mainstreaming education in communities and homes that guarantee the protection and survival of children. In 2006, NeSPE Sierra Leone also approved country programs to address Gender integration and community empowerment which have as their program goals, reduced incidence of severe violations of Gender parity and enhanced capacity of communities and children in NeSPE’s program areas to provide a favourable socio-cultural environment for the growth and development of women and young people. Promoting inclusion and preventing exploitation of vulnerable children and women is core to the child protection and gender inclusive program. To implement its country programs, NeSPE Sierra Leone works in partnership with local and international non-governmental organizations, District representatives of government ministries, youth groups, children, and their communities and helps to build the capacities of these institutions to realize their development goals.

NeSPE Sierra Leone’s Agricultural Renewal Program comprises of a series of integrated activities including rehabilitation/ construction of structures of Agricultural outfits, support to farmer field schools and provision of sanitation facilities. An advocacy component on the importance of Gender mainstreaming, community resilience building and reconciliation and awareness raising on Environmental campaigns, has also been incorporated into the program.

While many projects have been done to address the visible and economic needs of post-war and post Ebola recovery Sierra Leone, much is still needed to support the psychological/psychosocial needs of Sierra Leoneans. Indeed, the war, Ebola coupled with the mudslides has also left a culture of violence/despair that must be addressed for Sierra Leone’s children to have a future of Peace. Protecting children, women and youths in a third world context is challenging, but in post-war Sierra Leone it is even more difficult. The traumas of war, Ebola and the current mudslides have impacted everyone in the country, women, children and youths alike. In the two target districts for this project (Moyamba and Bonthe).

In order to facilitate an effective implement of the new strategic plan, several strategic planning meetings were held with different stakeholders such as the Community members and NeSPE-SL Board as well as District Council stakeholders. During the meetings, the following priority intervention areas and strategies were identified and agreed on to guide NeSPE’s operations for the coming Five Years.

PRIORITY INTERVENTION AREAS

• Strengthening Gender mainstreaming Advocacy in the Agricultural Sector
• Health Advocacy( WASH, Reproductive health and HIV/AIDS)
• Livelihood (Education, economic empowerment, and environmental protection)
• Sustainable Agriculture (Food security, Disaster management, commercial farming etc)
• Promotion of Women’s Right at community Level
• Youth Empowerment and life skills programme

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mr. George Gbenga, netsupforpeace_sl@yahoo.com; nespesl2015@yahoo.com

Mob: +23278320567 / +232706185