Our Projects - Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Background
Working on the streets in Freetown, helping children come off the streets. A day centre is run and children are being supported back into school.
Concern For Street Kids Annual Report
on the Reintegration of Vulnerable Child in Sierra Leone 2010
Introduction
The establishment of Concern for Street Kids Sierra Leone programme sprang up after deliberation with partners and promoters from the United Kingdom that pledged to support street children through psychosocial means, family tracing and reunification and providing a safe environment for children to live in peace and security, The process started with analyzing the situation of street children in the country and contacting other agencies within the municipality that have piloted project for children living in the street. This process guided the mechanisms and direction towards basic primary and secondary education and where appropriate enhances skills training for children above the age of ten, who never had the opportunity of going to school. The main objective focused on getting children out of the street and reunifies them with their parents or guardian providing detail information of child’s history and the prevailing environment that prompted children to move away from their family members or guardians.
The programme has enlisted a total of twenty children drawn from all areas within the municipality of Freetown. The essence was to create a platform for information sharing with our international partner, understand the challenges, identify major actors and establish linkage with local council and government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
The challenges faced in the implement of the programme are enormous coupled with the divergent roles of other actors perceived to be child exploiters who in their capacity have a fundamental stake in the day to day affairs of street children. In order wards these are the custodians of children living in hide out. The children refer to them as ‘Bras and Sissies’ or pimps. Their role will be discussed in this report as major players in the process of our engagement with children.
The prevailing situation is volatile for children due to unavailability of strong legislations that address the precarious situation of children. CSK is however constraints with limited resources to address the escalating number of disadvantaged children. This report gives an inkling of the resources acquired from Action for street Kids United Kingdom and other supporters during the reporting period.
Finally the report will also give a brake down of the utilization of the resources received during the reporting period January to December 2010.
Project Implementation
The implementation of the project started with the registration of ten children in the Western Area of Freetown. These are mainly boys between the ages of eight to fourteen years. The team visited several places commonly known as hide out for street children or out of school children. Some of the places visited were ‘Tambacular’ along Lumley beach where canoes and fishing boat berth, ‘Guiana land’, ‘jescar’ one and two, and pentagon in the central location of Freetown. The team also visited on regular basis Mabela, kissy road via East end police, Magazine and fullah town communities were 60% of children are engaged in business such as selling packets of water, cakes and biscuit, sweet and other basic cooking items like magi, packets of salt, onions and fish. 95% of children found were brought from provincial areas by relatives on the pretext of sending them to school. Some were identified to be under the auspices of their half mothers. The visit revealed relevant information on the day to day affairs of disadvantaged children that has helped us in the selection process such as children associated with witch, orphans, destitute as well as those with limited resources to send their children to school.
Children were visited three times before they were enlisted in the programme. This process was for the team to ascertain their willingness to return home and build their confidence. One significant lesson learned in this process was that the children were not providing correct information at the initial contact. They attributed it to the fact that some agencies would collect their profiles and pledge their commitments which are not forthcoming. Similarly some agencies would solicit on their behalf without any fulfilling to them.
However, having identified the factors surrounding the children and their needs, the team selected schools based on proximity and affordability. The essence was to place them in school and provide them with learning materials. It was also geared towards strengthening the relationship and making the schools acknowledged the plight of these children as fundamental reasons for being out of school. This process was done through consultation with school authorities and teachers in schools were the children attend. The children were provided with two sets of uniforms, shoes, bags and exercise books and stipend for their welfare. Tuition fees were paid only for children in junior secondary schools (JSS) while other charges were paid for all categories to meet the demand of the schools at all levels.
Moreover, with increase in funding from Action for Street Kid United Kingdom ten additional children were enlisted giving a total of twenty beneficiaries. The opportunity was then extended to girls because of the number of little girls found selling in the street as stated above. These little girls were found selling magi cubes, fish, salt and pollythin bags along East end police roundabout and Congo market. They were brought by relatives from provincial areas on the pretext of providing assistance to them and their families. CSK gave premium to these little girls on the basis of vulnerability, exploitation and abuse among women and girls in the country. Daniel Long John has been enlisted on the basis that his father has been jail for criminal offences. He currently residing with an old woman aged 75 who cannot provide his needs and monitor his day to day activities. The location of his mother is unknown and the basically survive at the mercy of neighbours that he normally assist, The other children are basically out of school children who cannot meet school demands because of the earning capacity of parents, The extent to which young girls are abuse is on the increase and the perpetrators often negotiate with the child’s family without any regards for the child’s dignity. A greater proportion of these children were found along Fullah town, magazine, east end police via kissy road and pentagon. They have also been placed in different schools in Freetown and details are stated below:
| Name of child | School |
| Abdulai Turay | Sulaiman Jalloh |
| Ishmael Koroma | Mohamed Bah |
| Sheku A Mansaray | Junisa Brima |
| Musa Daramy | Tenneh Sankoh |
| Saidu Conteh | Abu Bakarr Kamara |
| Mohamed Turay | Makai Kargbo |
| Hawanatu Bangura | Abu Bakarr Kanu |
| Isata Jalloh | Mariama Bangura |
| Daniel Long john | Ramatulai Bangura |
| Mariama Sankoh |
Brass and sissies constitute an integral part in the lives of street children. They have an ambivalent relationship with bras and sissies. On one side they claim exploitative working hours, violent conduct for non-compliance and sexual exploitation. On the other side, bras and sissies mediate problems with the police, protect children against abuse and the general public and occasionally provide support for medical treatment. However, bras and sissies seemed intelligent, educated and many with families living together with their own children attending school. Their behaviour towards children within the hideout is also diverse. They may be more protective of children than children’s own relatives to whom they were trafficked. Other bras and sissies on the other hand are extremely abusive and exploitative.
Some bras and sissies work with younger children by organizing them in petty trading activities or carrying and cleaning around market stalls. Some children choose to live with bras and sissies to raise money to replace lost items or stolen property in their homes under the threat of violent half mothers.
The challenges faced in the implementation of the project are enormous and stated thus
• To strengthen our commitment with other partners to remove children out of the street.
• Limited financial resources to meet the huge number of children in dire need.
• Changing the mindset of communities to send their children to school.
• Lobby the government and local council to introduce rigid legislations against community members sending children to sell in the street.
• To strengthen relationship with Bras and sissies and in the long term build their capacity on issues related to child protection.
• Commit school authorities to understand the issues around street children and the need to support their enrollment in schools.
However, Pictures of the children is here by attached for the attention of trustee. Few need to be snapped which will be communicated soonest. They were not in school at the time of the visit. The pictures show the children in school in the midst of their classmate and the environment.
CSK received funds from ASK UK in three tranches for disadvantaged children in the country. This was received in phases of two thousand pounds each. The sum total received was six thousand five hundred pounds equivalent to 39,763,000 ( thirty nine million seven hundred and six three thousand leones). Details of the expenditure could be found be found below. The number of enrolled children was determined by the available resources and issues. The number will increase progressively when the financial capacity proved satisfactory.
However, the organization basically received support from the wakeling family to facilitate staff movement at the field level and to provide food in the process of engaging children in the field.
The organization is grateful for their support noting that it has contributed to making difference in the sustainability of the project.
Expenditure Analysis
NO |
CATEGORY OF ITEMS |
QTY |
UNIT COST |
TOTAL COST |
01 |
Bale of Cloth |
2 |
800,000 |
2,200,000 |
02 |
Shoes |
30 |
30000 |
1,800,000 |
03 |
Hiring of vehicle |
12 |
150,000 |
1,800,000 |
|
Documentation |
|
|
|
04 |
Printing |
- |
135000 |
135,000 |
05 |
Child information |
40 |
1000 |
40,000 |
06 |
Stationery-Paper |
5 |
25000 |
125,000 |
07 |
Pen |
20 Pkt |
20,000 |
400,000 |
08 |
Exercise books |
40 PKTs |
15000 |
600,000 |
09 |
Pencils |
20 pkt |
15,000 |
300,000 |
10 |
Erasers |
20 Pkt |
12,000 |
240,000 |
11 |
Rulers |
20PKT |
10,000 |
200,000 |
12 |
Bags |
20 Pkt |
60,000 |
1,200,000 |
13 |
Uniforms |
40 |
90,000 |
3,600,000 |
14 |
Admission cost |
17 |
varies |
800,000 |
15 |
Tuition fees |
5 |
varies |
300,000 |
16 |
Other charges |
20 |
Varies |
1,700,000 |
17 |
Public examination fee |
7 |
Varies |
400,000 |
18 |
Incentive to supporters |
2 |
|
2,000,000 |
19 |
Welfare incentive |
20 |
100,000 |
2,000,000 |
20 |
Grand Total |
|
|
19,840,000 |
The analysis depict expenditure pattern undertaken by Concern for Street Kids for the reporting period 2010. The analysis represents cost incurred for and on behalf of street children and other vulnerable within the municipality of Freetown. There has been variation in cost since June 2010 when the initial report was sent to ASK. The variation was due to continuous increase in prices of goods and services as a result of high inflation. The low per capital income of people coupled with the current economic trend have had adverse effect on the people. This is reflective of the continuous increase in prices at the market.
However the organization is moving at a slow pace as agreed because of the prevailing environment and concessions reached during the meeting in England. This has been a major reason for the organization moving at a slow pace. In 2010, the organization has basically focused on providing the educational needs of children as stipulated on the analysis.
The organization has not been able to provide salary to the team but rather provided incentive to motivation volunteers. This was rather irregular because of limited available resources.
Much has not been done on issues related to health care support as the situation of children remains stable. The organization is however mindful of the fact that children situation are unpredictable and could be addressed when emerged.
