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Sierra Leone Background Sierra Leone is recovering from ten years of civil war, which destroyed and damaged most of the country’s infrastructure, educational centers and services, and homes. In fact, almost 70 percent of the nation’s schools were destroyed. Approximately only 30 percent of the population is literate. In Freetown, most children attend school until eighth grade. Yet, since the civil war’s outbreak, many children have not returned to school. Things have become even more difficult since only a small number of professionals are trained to teach youth. As a result, many children often go to work to bring in an additional income for their families, when they’re not in school. MCW hopes to address the challenges facing Sierra Leonean youth. We hope that a new MCW youth center will provide a creative and empowering outlet for young people in the eastern region of Freetown and surrounding areas to learn, share, and develop new entrepreneurial skills. The Community Center MCW opened a new youth center in July 2007 in Kissy, East Freetown. The center aims to provide educational, cultural, and economic opportunities to over 1000 unemployed youth, as well as programs and recreation for the surrounding community. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 200 guests, including MCW’s Co-founder and Executive Director, MCSL Local Advisory Board Members, Sierra Leone police, and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) representatives. Valued at $35,000, funds for the center were raised by MCW and complemented by UNDP. The center, which sits on five acres of land donated by the local police, includes a multi-purpose hall, a computer room with internet facilities, a store, a restaurant, and office space. The sustainable facilities will support computer training, skills-development courses, pre-school education, and after-school clubs at nominal costs, as well as programs devoted to strengthening police-civil society relations. MCW Co-Founder and Executive Director Eddie Bergman called on Kissy youth to view the center as a catalyst to other community building and youth empowerment projects. “The center aims to bring young people together to dialogue and to help build better lives for themselves and for one another.” Sierra Leone, with approximately 5.5 million people, is one the least developed countries in the world, according to the UNDP Human Development Index. The 11-year civil war destroyed much of the country’s education infrastructure. Estimates indicate that 70% of schools were demolished and 31% of the population is literate. Many schools lack trained personnel, resources, and materials. “MCW hopes to address some of these challenges through the work of the center,” said Bergman. Senior Sierra Leone police representative T.M. Lahia highlighted the center’s potential role in combating and reducing high crime rates among youth in the area. “The project works well with Sierra Leone police’s strategic plan, which aims to engage youth in sustainable development,” he said. “We are committed to provide security to the center and need to ensure transparency and accountability for sustainability and progress.” MCSL fellow Amanda Blount managed the 2-month construction project, working closely with volunteer Nick Orso, who headed a local construction team, and MCSL Leadership Team Member Harry Gbetuwa. Gbetuwa will manage the center year-round, alongside MCSL Leadership Team Member Kabba Sesay. The center was named in honor of former Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for Sierra Leone and MCW-USA board advisor Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago. While he was SRSG, Mwakawago had invited MCW to Sierra Leone to conduct a needs assessment of Freetown’s youth in order to develop a project that would complement government efforts to create jobs for youth in 2003. Pending success of the Kissy center, MCW plans to work in partnership with the Sierra Leone police to replicate the model in three other provincial headquarters. The official naming ceremony will take place in December 2007. To learn more about MCW's work in Sierra Leone, email MCW Fellow Amanda Blount.
Courtesy of Amanda Blount for MCW October 23, 2007: First Day of Classes at Miracle Corners Sierra Leone Community Center!
Miracle Corners Sierra Leone (MCSL) MCSL was established in 2007 to oversee the construction and development of the new MCW Mwakawago Youth Reource Center in Kissy, East Freetown, Sierra Leone. The center’s aim is to empower youth to lead productive lives through entrepreneurial training, particularly in the areas of computer training, small business development, pre-school education, and after-school programs. MCSL is managed by a Board of Directors, which is chaired by Samuel Pieh, Executive Director of the Christian Health Organization. Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police-Mr Brima Acha Kamara serves as honorary chair and former UNAMSIL employed Kabba Sesay serves as General Secretary. Advisory board members include Patricia Brown and Kwame Anno-kumi Project. |
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