Overview of Project
1.0 Project Name: Transforming Young Peoples’ Lives in Kroo Bay and Dworzack Slum Communities 2.0 Overall Objective: To bring about a demonstrable improvement in the lives of vulnerable young people and their families living in urban slums, focusing on young people as catalysts for community development
Specific Objectives:
• To provide quality vocational training and post training support for 1,200 disadvantaged young peoples to help them either gain employment or establish their own micro-enterprise;
• To provide basic literacy and numeracy and/or recreational activities for at least 300 out of school young people per year;
• To improve the quality of life of 20,000 people in two slum communities through targeted advocacy, community mobilization and capacity building activities led by young people;
• To improve the living conditions and environment of at least 2,000 people per year through slum upgrading pilot and demonstration project; and,
• To build the capacity of selected civil society organizations (CSOs) to scale up support to vulnerable young people and their families in urban slum areas.
4.0 Project Duration: Sept 2007 – August 2011 (4yrs) 5.0 Updates:
• Two cycles of training have been conducted and third and final cycle now in progress targeting a total of 628 youth in Kroo Bay, Dworzack, Susan’s Bay Marbella. The skills included: catering, hairdressing, tailoring, masonry, carpentry, auto mechanics, and electrical installation. Training is outsourced to existing service providers in various parts of central and west end of Freetown.
• 179 beneficiaries registered in Kroo and Dworzack for micro–enterprise support
• Supported youth in Kroo Bay and Dworzack with recreational opportunities, and organize and engage in advocacy drives
• Adult Literacy Classes established in Kroo Bay and Dworzack targeting 25 learners each
• Conducted various life skills training in health and sanitation, HIV & AIDS, savings, group dynamics, advocacy, land rights and peace building
• Mobilized 1,200 members into savings groups which are now federated into Federation of Urban and Rural Poor – Sierra Leone (FEDURP-SL) in Freetown, Bo, Makeni and Kenema. They are also micro-credit with savings
• Conducted community profiling and socio-economic enumeration survey in Kroo Bay and Dworzack Donors: Comic Relief UK and Y Care International UK
| Slum Project |
| 1. Past Project |
| Project Title: Transforming Young People’s Lives in 4 Slum Communities in Freetown Overall |
Objective:
Bring about demonstrable social and economic transformation in the lives of young people living slum communities in Freetown
Specific Objectives:
- A reduction in the level of extreme poverty amongst vulnerable and marginalised young people through vocational, entrepreneurship and life-skills training and provision of post-training start-up support
- Increased economic resilience and inter-connectedness of female slum dwellers through the expansion of savings and credit schemes
- Strengthened capacity of Sierra Leone YMCA to implement slum programming activities that respond to the needs and rights of young people
- Improved capacity of youth focused groups and organisations to deliver projects that benefit the community as a result of technical, organisational and financial support facilitated through a small grants scheme
- Improved physical conditions and health status for slum dwellers through the construction of water points and latrines
- Improved capacity of young people to engage and participate in decision making that affects them
- Improved accountability and responsiveness of local government to the needs of slum communities, leading to better/pro-poor upgrading policies
- Strengthened capacity of slum communities to mitigate against and respond to disasters in particularly at-risk communities
Activities:
- Provision of technical and vocational skills
- Provision of WASH facilities and other community infrastructures
- Provision of post-training start-up kits
- Support youth entrepreneurship through the provision start-up capital
- Support youth advocacy groups and activities
- Support youth recreational activities
- Provide and support life skills training in hygiene promotion, HIV/AIDS education, environmental cleaning
- Support DRR activities
Implementation Period:
September 2007 – December 2012
Target Communities and Localities:
- Kroo Bay
- Dworzack
- Susan’s Bay
- Marbella
Achievements:
- Two community centres erected equipped with Sat TV, internet facilities, hall and spaces for office and other functions in Kroo Bay and Dworzack respectively;
- 750 youth graduated from technical and vocational skills training and received start-up kits (About 13.3% youth with technical skills are gainfully employed and over 40% have set up their own micro-enterprises with an improved income level leading to an improved living standard of their families)
- 10 stand pipes and 6 spring boxes providing potable water for over 20,000 inhabitants of 2 slum communities
- 6-seater latrine constructed and 2 10-seater rehabilitated benefitting approximately 7,000 people
- 120 adults benefitted from adult literacy and numeracy learning programme
- 2 youth development organizations Kroo Bay Youth Development Organization (KYDO)and Dworzack Youth Development Organization (DYDO) established leading to youth advocacy works in the two communities
- Directly supported yearly outdoor recreational and sporting activities organized by youth
- 700 children and youth in primary and junior secondary school benefitted from Right To Play sport for develop module for HIV/AIDS sensitization
- 500 people received training in various life skills (environmental sanitation, hygiene, savings and credits, etc);
- Supported yearly cleaning up campaigns
- Conducted a community-led settlement profiling and enumeration surveys in Kroo Bay, Dworzack and Susan’s Bay, capturing data from approximately 7,890 households
- Organized 1 National Conference on slums with a theme: “Towards a Pro-poor Agenda for Change: Adopting an Inclusive Approach to City and Urban Planning”.
- Established Community Based Disaster Management Committees (CBDMCs) in all communities
- Established Centre of Dialogue on Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation (Codohsapa), which now a full-fledged NGO to work with Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (Fedurp) to mobilise slum dwellers for engaging and negotiating with stakeholders
| Project Title: Awareness Raising on the three Gender Acts of 2007 |
Overall Objective:
To raise awareness on the three gender acts of 2007 and to bring about gender equity in 10 slum communities in Freetown
Specific Objectives:
- Increase the awareness of people at grass-root levels on the legislation that gives voice, space, power and opportunity to women so that they are recognised equally as their male counterparts and that their contributions and participation are regarded parallel to that their them (male counterparts) and not as substitute.
- To mobilise and enlist multi-stakeholder participation, inclusive of community-based representation to agitate and demand actions that will ensure the translation and enforcement of the gender acts at local and community levels.
- To support a cross-section of the most vulnerable women and girls with opportunities as a way to demonstrate the possibility of practically translating the gender act, such as pilot registration of traditional marriages, etc.
Activities:
- Production and propagation of Information, Education & Communication (IEC) materials
- Simplify and popularize the Gender Act 2007
- Regular Community Consultations with key stakeholders from local to national levels
- Community Action Group trainings
- Media promotions by working with both print and electronic media
- Inter-Agency Coordinating Meetings
- Support pilot registration of 10 traditional marriages
- Research and documentation of 10 Case Studies and lessons learnt
- Monitoring and supervision of project activities and implementation
Implementation Period:
1 year (August 2012- July 2013)
Target Communities and Localities:
- 10 slum communities (Kroo Bay, Falcon Bridge, Dworzack, Susan’s Bay, Marbella, Colbot, Govt. Wharf, Mo Wharf, Old Wharf, Magazine)
Achievements:
- Built the capacity of target groups to participate in implementation of the gender project; this helped to strengthen existing community structures
- Increased assertiveness and confidence of target groups who are now handling cases that has to do with the three gender issues and the three Gender Acts
- The project helped to visible and evident increase responsiveness of community stake holders (local chiefs, Imams, councillors, youth, CSGS, CAGS, women and men leaders) to gender justice issues
- CSG’s and CAG’s are now recognized by and working with the police partnership board in the communities on gender based and domestic violence issues
- The social services department of the Freetown City Council is now strongly supportive to target groups by enhancing their adequate right to customary marriage and divorce as a practical translation of the gender act 3 (Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act)
- 8 traditional marriages registered in the FCC
| Project Title: Fighting Ebola in slum communities in Freetown |
Overall Objective:
To prevent the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone
Specific Objectives:
- To prevent the further spread of Ebola in 25 slum communities in Freetown by increasing awareness of the virus by five Comic Relief-funded partners.
Activities:
- Peer educator selection, training and community sensitisation
- Revision and dissemination of IEC materials
- Development and broadcasting of mass audience sensitisation
- Provision of hand washing materials and equipment
- Contact tracing and case reporting
- Coordination and monitoring
- Contingency for changing emergency situation
Implementation Period:
September 2014 – January 2015
Target Communities and Localities:
- Cockle Bay, Crab Town, Dworzack, Colbot, Congo Water, Funkia, Grey Bush, Susan’s Bay, Old Wharf, Grafton, Oloshoro, Fullah Town, Kroo Bay, Palmronkoh, Ojuku, Congo Town, Falcon Bridge, Mo Wharf, Portee Wharf, Robis, Kolleh Town, Magazine, Marbella, Moyiba, Wellington’s Wharf
Achievements:
- 250 Peer Educators (PEs) and 180 community stakeholders were selected and trained and carried out community sensitisation and awareness raising campaigns
- 12,500 leaflets; 1,250 posters; 1,000 bumper stickers; 25 reflex banners; and, 1,250 booklets with harmonized messages, approved by the MoHS were produced, disseminated and used by PEs for their community actions.
- Radio jingles were aired out by 4 radio stations namely, Radio Democracy, Star Radio, Citizen Radio and Culture Radio. The audio-visual jingle is broadcasted daily by Sign Africa advertising company on their giant TV screens located at two strategic points at Lumley Roundabout in the west end and Eastern Police in the east end of Freetown which is a daily attraction huge number of pedestrians and motorists. Community update sessions which captured community perceptions and experiences were aired out through radio and TV vox pop.
- All five partners provided a total of 250 veronica buckets and 25 cartons of cake soaps in their respective communities for hand washing purposes. These items were placed at strategic locations such as market places, court barrays, community centres and ataya bases, okada (motor bike) parks, etc and are monitored by the PEs.
- The PEs participated in contact tracing which included case finding and reporting to the MoHS government surveillance teams, community health workers, and burial teams.
- 822 quarantined persons benefitted from contingency support of food and non-food items
| 2. On-going Project |
| Project Title: Empowering young slum dwellers for the social and economic transformation of slum communities in Freetown |
Overall Objective:
Bring about demonstrable social and economic transformation in the lives of young people living slum communities in Freetown
Specific Objectives:
- A reduction in the level of extreme poverty amongst 800 vulnerable and marginalised young people through vocational, entrepreneurship and life-skills training and provision of post-training start-up support
- Increased economic resilience and inter-connectedness of female slum dwellers through the expansion of savings and credit schemes
- Strengthened capacity of Sierra Leone YMCA and CODOHSAPA to implement slum programming activities that respond to the needs and rights of young people
- Improved capacity of youth focused groups and organisations to deliver projects that benefit the community as a result of technical, organisational and financial support facilitated through a small grants scheme
- Improved physical conditions and health status for approximately 28,000 slum dwellers through the construction of water points and latrines
- Improved capacity of 400 young people to engage and participate in decision making that affects them
- Improved accountability and responsiveness of local government to the needs of slum communities, leading to better/pro-poor upgrading policies
- Strengthened capacity of slum communities to mitigate against and respond to disasters in particularly at-risk communities
Activities:
- 800 young slum-dwellers will receive life skills and flexible livelihood training (entrepreneurship or vocational), post-training materials and/or start-up capital
- Mobilize (predominantly) women and youth to expand community-based savings and credit groups.
- Capacity building for YMCA/CODOHSAPA to strengthen support for youth-led and community-led slum upgrading
- YCI will commission periodic research on the role of young people in slum upgrading and development;
- A small grants scheme to build capacity of youth-focused groups/organisations to implement community development initiatives.
- Community-led construction of 8 water points and 8 latrines
- Young peer educators will lead health and hygiene awareness-raising
- Train youth groups in advocacy, civic engagement and budget monitoring
- Establish Community Development Fund (CDF) for slum upgrading initiatives
- Undertake enumeration exercises, community mapping and international exchange visits
- Conduct Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Training of Trainers (ToT) training and provide training/technical support to CBDMCs in target communities who in turn will undertake community VCAs and roll-out priority disaster mitigation activities
Implementation Period:
5 years (July 2013- June 2018)
Target Communities and Localities:
- 10 slum communities (Colbot , Mo Wharf, Marbella, Susan’s Bay, Grey Bush/Kolleh Town/Crab Town, Oloshoroh, Cockle Bay, Funkia, Kroo Bay, Dworzack
Achievements
- 300 young people acquired TVET skills and supported with start-up capital. About 8% of them have gained employment in various jobs
- Supported 300 young people with start-up capital as grant to support their business and entrepreneurial initiatives
- Provided 8 water points in 8 communities which has increased access for over 10,000 people which has reduced teenage among pregnancy among girls.
- Provided 8 latrines in 8 communities also serving over 10,000 people
- Supported 30 community upgrading initiatives including pavilion, steps, bridges, etc
- Trained 160 peer educators who are involved hygiene and environmental health promotion and supported communities with garbage containers which has contributed to clean and sanitary environments
- Established community-based disaster management committees (CBDMCs) in 10 communities taking lead and action on disaster risk reduction sensitisation initiatives which have increased community awareness on disaster issues.
- Trained and organised 400 youth advocates who engage local and state authorities on slum upgrading. Their work has led to reversal of forced evictions in a number of slums thereby opening constructive dialogue on slum upgrading issues and building the profile of Organisation and including in the presidential task force on slum development.
