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 21^st 1991

v     Lome Peace Accord signed on the 7^th 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 Republic of Sierra Leone (see www.sierra-leone.org)

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 Sierra Leone and works with The Sierra Leone’s Social Welfare and Development and Economic Planning Department, to provide help and assistance to the children, it is Childhelp Sierra Leone’s desire to continue and expand this work to help the war-maimed, orphaned, abandoned, and destitute children of Sierra Leone.

 

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 Sierra Leone. These areas have many various and inter-related problems, which has been a reservoir of human problems and misery of extreme hardship and indignity such as rural-to-urban migration and lack of basic educational standards, technical training, adequate and modern farming tools, infrastructure such as good roads, bridges and housing facilities, human resources management, post harvest loss reduction facilities, incentives, transportation facilities, social services, better health and employment opportunities.

 

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 Sierra Leone. Since Independence in 1961, with the view of addressing the immediate problems affecting the rural poor. The successful implementations of these big projects were definitely bound to improve the living conditions of the rural people as the direct beneficiaries.

 

 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 Sierra Leone.  Many children have lost limbs and been maimed during the conflict.  Since most of Sierra Leone’s five million people live off the fruits of the land, chopping off the hands of limbs of peasant children who must survive off the land has a devastating effect on their ability to care for and feed themselves.

 

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, Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

 

 

 

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

 

Sierra Leone remains among the countries with the highest infant and under mortality rates; 182 and 364 per 1,000 live births.

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 Northern Province being the most and serious affected as it was the rebel’s strong hold.

 

 

 

Bombali District in the Northern Province was ignored and behind rebel strong holds for so long, suffered under their power. In the whole country, about 150 out of 700 government health units are functioning now. With its weak economic base, because of the war, the government is unable to adequately provide the necessary primary health carer service to the population. As a result, the majority of the functioning agencies receive their support from international agencies like UNICEF, WHO, International and National Non-governmental organisations.

 

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.

 

OBJECTIVES

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.

 

ACTIVITIES

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.

 

EXPECTED OUTCOME

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.

 

 

SAFE MOTHERHOOD PROGRAMME

 

According to 1996 WHO/UNICEF estimates, Sierra Leone has the highest Maternal Mortality Rate in the world: 1,800 per 100,000 live births. This supposes that 3000 women die in the process of childbirth each year. The five leading causes of maternal death are severe bleeding, sepsis, unsafe abortion, eclampsia, obstructed labour and anaemia. A national survey performed in 1998 found that 83% of all pregnant women suffer from anaemia. In additional to the direct obstetric causes of maternal mortality and morbidity stated above, several socio-cultural and economic factors are responsible.

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.

 

OBJECTIVES

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.

 

 

 

ACTIVITIES

 

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.

 

 

PARTNERSHIP

Any agency with the same aims and objectives

 

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

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

 

 

NUTRITION PROGRAMME

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.

 

OBJECTIVES

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.

 

ACTIVITIES

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 Northern Province and any 2 other areas with alarming malnutrition levels.

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.

 

PARTNERSHIP

 

Any funding agency, Government of Sierra Leone, local communities and women groups.

 

 

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

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 Sierra Leone to faced serious humanitarian crisis where lives, personal properties and social infrastructures like health facilities, schools and water and sanitation facilities have been discriminately destroyed. The nature and degree of destruction led to the displacement of thousands of people into safe places. Before the war, water and sanitation facilities in the villages were damnly poor and were grossly inadequate for the settled populations and even during the displacement period. The estimation of Sierra Leone population access to safe water is less than 34% and to sanitation less than 12%. Sierra Leone is still beset by infectious diseases including tetanus, typhoid and diarrhoea that lead to child deaths. This inadequate access has posed diseases among vulnerable groups like children and women. 1994 there were outbreaks of diarrhoea disease with 4 deaths out of 375 confirmed cholera cases.

 

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 Lome’ Peace Accord in operation, and new government elected, many are now returning to their battered homes where urgent rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities are needed. Low cost technologies will be applied to provide the water and environmental sanitation facilities to the population. Increased community participation in programme activities will be promoted where community members will be trained to rehabilitate their facilities. For healthy lifestyles and optimal utilization of the facilities, hygiene education will be promoted.

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 United States Dollars and repairing one is less than USD 3,000.

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.

 

 

OBJECTIVES

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 t