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FORMER PROGRAMS
Food Security, Shelter
and Reintegration Program in Kailahun»
Vocational/Apprenticeship Training and Accelerated Learning for Ex-Combatants»
Other Activities»
BACKGROUND
Sierra Leone has been witness to one of Africa's most
brutal civil wars. Since the war broke-out in 1991, the
people of Sierra Leone have been displaced, threatened
by conflict and subject to some of the worst forms of
brutality. Nearly half a million Sierra Leoneans were
forced to flee into the neighboring countries of Guinea
and Liberia, while hundreds of thousands of others
became internally displaced.
The conflict in Sierra Leone has abated since late
2000. This recent emergence of relative stability, along
with the re-activation of the Disarmament, Demobilization
and Reintegration (DDR) program, has opened-up parts of
the country previously held by the Revolutionary United
Front (RUF) rebels. Sierra Leonean refugees in
neighboring countries are repatriating and many of those
internally displaced are returning to their homes in
former rebel areas; areas to which NGOs previously had
little or no access. The changing situation in Sierra
Leone signals a shift toward a transitional post-emergency
phase.
UMCOR NGO originally established an office in Sierra
Leone in 1996 through which it distributed non-food item
assistance to IDPs. When fighting broke out in Freetown in
1997, UMCOR Sierra Leone reluctantly closed its office. In
response to the ongoing needs in Sierra Leone, UMCOR Sierra
Leone reopened its Freetown office in August 2001.
UMCOR Sierra Leone is working closely with its local
partners, The United Methodist Church (UMC), and the
Methodist Church of Sierra Leone (MCSL). The UMC was
established in Sierra Leone over 120 years ago. Since
then, it has been involved in programs assisting the
people of Sierra Leone. The MCSL's presence in Sierra
Leone dates back to the 1700s, and has been involved in
community development projects since the 1900s, where it
has focused on health and education. By working in
collaboration, it is the intention that all three partners
will be able to draw from each others expertise to more
effectively assist those suffering from the effects of the
war.
PROGRAMS
Food Security, Shelter
and Reintegration Program
in Kailahun
Much of the country has only recently emerged from
years of fighting and rebel control which accounts for the
flow of refugees and internally displaced people currently
returning to their home regions in northern and eastern
Sierra Leone. In the former rebel-held area of Kailahun,
the people want to return home, however there are no
houses, no schools, no clinics and no decent water supply
or sanitation facilities for them to return to. The
infrastructure needs rehabilitation and food security
programs need to be implemented in order for this
war-weary population to resume their normal lives and
overcome their dependency on humanitarian assistance.
In response to these needs, UMCOR is implementing a
food security and shelter program in Kailahun designed to
facilitate the reintegration of those forced from their
homeland as a result of the war. This project, funded by
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, is a 12 month
initiative that began in August 2002.
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These
shelters in Bandajuma were
reconstructed by the villagers
themselves and the roofing sheets
were provided by UMCOR. |
With this project, UMCOR is taking a three-pronged
approach to addressing the food and shelter needs in its
areas of operation. The first is to support an
agricultural relief program in Penguia chiefdom and two
sections (Quiviar and Buuma) in Yawei chiefdom of the
Eastern Province through the provision of seeds and tools
and technical extension services for the 2002 planting
season. This portion of the program will assist some
4,000 farming families. The households assisted will
include ex-combatants, resettled IDPs and returning
refugees. The second mode of intervention will be the
establishment of a food surveillance system which will
enable UMCOR and other national and international partners
to better understand, plan and prepare for the cycles of
food production and factors which effect food security.
Thirdly, UMCOR is providing shelter materials to some
1,000 families whose homes have been destroyed as a result
of the war. Moreover, we are hoping, with the help of
Norwegian Church Aid, to provide water and sanitation
assistance in target communities.
Vocational/Apprenticeship
Training and Accelerated
Learning for Ex-combatants
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Edward
Gblah (with Fatmata Kanu from UMCOR) was a soldier in an RUF signalling
unit. He is reintegrating in Matatoka village in Tonkolili
district and is learning carpentry under the UMCOR retraining scheme. |
UMCOR recently received funding to implement a skills
training and literacy program in Tonkolili District in
the North. This project aims to facilitate the
reintegration of ex-combatants through skills training and
basic educational training. This is designed to assist the
peace process by providing ex-combatants with viable
income-generating opportunities, as many of them only know
how to support themselves as a member of a fighting force.
Funding for this project is provided by Department for
International Development (DFID), working with the
National Commission for DDR. As part of this initiative,
UMCOR opened an office in Makeni in January, 2003. UMCOR
will be opening an additional office in Magburka in March,
2003 to support this program. Click
here for the story of Base Marine, an ex-combatant, and
his experiences with the RUF:
 This Land is My Land
Some UMCOR Sierra Leone programs in pictures, August 2003
Other Activities
UMCOR Sierra Leone continues to assess the existing
needs and project possibilities in Sierra Leone. Based on
findings, UMCOR will then design projects and seek funding
for potential program to address the most critical needs
in its areas of operation. UMCOR will likely expand its
activities in Food Security, Shelter and Reintegration.
UMCOR intends to conduct work in other sectors, such as:
Water and Sanitation, Health, Camp Management, and
Reconstruction – to name but a few.
In addition to implementing its own programs, UMCOR Sierra
Leone also hopes to conduct joint projects in
collaboration with its local partners, the UMC and the
MCSL. As part of its mission, UMCOR Sierra Leone is
working with its Methodist partners in strengthening their
capacities to conduct development and relief activities.
Part of this task will include UMCOR Sierra Leone
supervising and supporting partners' field activities in
health, agriculture, peace and reconciliation and
education. UMCOR Sierra Leone will also assist in
improving the fiscal accountability and reporting
procedures of its partners.
As part of a broader focus, UMCOR Sierra Leone is also
developing plans for and a regional strategy with UMCOR Liberia
and Lutheran World Federation/World Service in Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
Updated June 15, 2005 |
