Street Children
By Alford Dillet

The number of children that roam about in the city of Freetown is on the increase and it is becoming more and more alarming to the detriment of the future of this country. It is much of a surprise that although there is a ministry responsible for their welfare, Sierra Leone’s gullible leaders of tomorrow, yet less attention is being paid to the deprived tender ages.
Street children are among the most physically visible of all children, living and working on the streets of Freetown.
Yet, paradoxically, they are also among the most invisible and therefore hardest children to reach with vital services, such as education and health care and the most difficult to protect, no one seems to care at all.
The term ‘Street Children’ is problematic as it can be employed as a stigmatizing label. One of the gratest problems such children face is their demonization by main stream society as a threat and a source of criminal behaviour. From investigations conducted in the city centre at night, many of the children living and working on the street have embraced the term, considering that it offers them a sense of identity and belonging.
The umbrella description is convenient shorthand, but it should not obscure the fact that many children who live and work on the streets do so in multifarious ways and for a number of reasons and each of them is unique with their own, often strongly felt point of view.
The exact number of street children is impossible to quantity and it is likely that the number swells time after time.
Most street children are not orphans. Many are still in contact with their families and work on the street to augment the household incomes. Others have run away from home often in response to psychological, physical or sexual abuse.
The majority are made, as girls seem to endure abusive or exploitive situation at home linger. Once on the street, children become valuable to all forms of exploitation and abuse and their daily lives are likely to be far removed from the ideal childhood environed in the connection on the right of the child. The Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s .\ Fairs and those entrusted to protect sometime becomes perpetrators of cries against them.
They often find themselves in conflict with the police and other authorities. It is however worthy to note that all children have the right to grow up in a protective environment in which all elements work, individually and collectively, to secure them from violence abuse and neglect as well as from exploitation and discrimination.
There fore as we move ahead embracing the realizations of he MDGs, we must look into the plight of the generation we often called” Leaders of tomorrow” and help them to live as children new.
遊蘯在自由城裡的孩子們越來越多了，這對當地的未來造成的損傷將不可預期。而這群孩子們卻無法享受到當地政府提供的社會福利，像是受教育或是健康相關方面等服務。而這群孩子必須去面對著社會最現實的一面，去想辦法讓自己生存下去。但奇怪的是，這群孩子是擁有家人的，但是他們卻必須出外工作以增加家裡的收入。而其中有些孩子就因為受不了家中的各種虐待而逃離了那個環境。這群孩子被一直利用著去賺錢，而使得他們不能像已開發國家的孩子，能夠自由地選擇自己想要的童年生活，這對他們來講，也許是一大遺憾……。因此，我們該做的便是幫助他們去活得更像孩子一點，讓他們能在被保護的環境底下成長
資料來源：獅子山當地報紙

Africa -- World Water Day 2007
Sierra Leone

Water is fundamental to the very existence of life. Sierra Leone has been described as the wettest country in West Africa with the highest annual rainfall. This makes the country unique with many water sources.Men test water from a newly constructed well in Sierra Leone.

This fact does not make the country free from poor water sources. The problem is compounded by the lack of long term maintenance and/or destruction of existing facilities in many rural and urban towns during the war. The majority of people in the rural areas rely on water collected from rivers, pools, shallow wells, springs and swamps. Water is often polluted causing typhoid, cholera, dysentery, worms and parasitic infections.

CCF-Sierra Leone has been working to address this issue of water sanitation.With support from the Sky Siegfried Fund, CCF constructed 26 hand pump wells for 26 health huts in these communities. It immensely increased families’ access to safe drinking water. It is estimated that a total number of 15,929 children and their families are accessing these water sources.

UNICEF and CCF are working on partnership proposals for constructing 16 hand pump wells and 16 ventilated improved pit toilets for 16 community schools in Bombali and Koinadugu Districts. It is hoped that this venture will improve the health and sanitation situation of school going children and other beneficiaries in these communities.

http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/content.aspx?id=4651

Delegation of UN Peacebuilding Commission concluded maiden mission to Sierra Leone

Freetown, Sierra Leone, 25 March 2007 --- A delegation from the newly established United Nations Peacebuilding Commission completed its first-ever mission, a five-day visit to Sierra Leone, as part of reinforced efforts by the world body to prevent countries emerging from civil war and other conflicts from slipping back into bloodshed.
The 12-member delegation, which wound up its visit on 25 March, has held intensive talks with President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and other senior officials of the small West African country, which after 11 years of civil war has now entered a peace consolidation phase.

“We came here to look on the ground for first-hand information on issues that the Commission is meant to deal with and to identify challenges to the peacebuilding process,” said Ambassador Frank Majoor, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN, who headed the delegation in his capacity as chair of the Commission’s Country Specific Meetings on Sierra Leone.
After earlier discussions in the Commission, the Government and the UN mission in Sierra Leone jointly conducted an analysis of critical gaps in peacebuilding efforts and drew up a national priority plan that has been endorsed by the stakeholders and includes youth employment and empowerment, democracy and good governance, justice and security as well as public service delivery.
Mr. Majoor said the working visit helped the delegation to determine specific priorities and gaps within these wider priority areas for the Commission to solicit extended support from donor countries.

He emphasized that the Commission is now closer to an integrated framework – a compact between the Government, donors, the UN, the private sector and civil society – to sustain the national and international commitment to support peacebuilding and stability in Sierra Leone over the years to come.

He and other delegation members described the consolidated approach on various tracks to peacebuilding and development, thus maintaining the continuity of already existing mechanisms such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Project and the Peace Consolidation Strategy.
Earlier this month, Sierra Leone received $35 million from the UN Peacebuilding Fund, established from voluntary contributions to aid countries which have recently emerged from war from slipping back into conflict, with Sierra Leone and another formerly war-torn African country, Burundi, the first nations to be referred to it.

Although the two countries have made much progress in emerging from their devastating civil conflicts, they continue to face great political and economic challenges, the Commission said then.


PBC(Peacebuilding Commission )成立迄今，第一個任務出現了，就是前往獅子山五天，與當地的重要官員進行瞭解當地情形以及設法避免當地再次發生戰爭、衝突。經過開會討論後，當地政府將與聯合國設立於當地的組織一起努力，重建當地的和平。前些日子，獅子山收到聯合國捐贈的三千五百萬美元，並與另一個國家－蒲隆地(位於中非)共同努力，即使都曾遭受過大規模的摧殘，但依然以重建和平時代為共同目標
資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

New York/Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1 March 2007 --- The Secretary-General of the United Nations today announced that an allocation of US Dollars 35 million will be made available from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in support of Sierra Leone. This announcement follows a review in New York of the Priority Plan submitted jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations presence in the country.
The allocation will be used to fund projects in the areas of youth employment and empowerment, democracy and good governance, justice and security as well as public service delivery.

Against the backdrop of the discussion in the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the Government and the United Nations presence in Sierra Leone jointly conducted a country level analysis of critical gaps in the peacebuilding efforts and drew up a national priority plan that has been endorsed by the stakeholders in Sierra Leone. Civil Society Organizations continued to play a key role to ensure the country’s effective engagement with the Peacebuilding Commission
The Peacebuilding Fund is established from voluntary contributions, as part of the new peacebuilding architecture, under the authority of the Secretary-General. It seeks to address critical peacebuilding priorities and benefits countries such as Sierra Leone, under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as others in similar circumstances, as designated by the Secretary-General.

The Peacebuilding Commission formally declared Sierra Leone as eligible for PBF funding in October 2006. The allocation of the fund now paves the way for the implementation of projects in the four priority areas following a review and approval by the Peacebuilding Steering Committee in Sierra Leone, co-chaired by the Government and the United Nations. A Peacebuilding Fund Steering Committee, comprising Government, civil society, external partners and the United Nations presence in Sierra Leone, has been established.

Member States have so far pledged some USD 210 million to the Peacebuilding Fund. This is the second such allocation made under the Peacebuilding Fund following an earlier country envelope in support of Burundi, the other country currently under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission.

Speaking at the UN’s New York Headquarters, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding, Ms. Carolyn McAskie said “the Peacebuilding Fund will support critical interventions in Sierra Leone and we hope that it can play an important catalytic role in attracting additional donor support to further consolidate the peace process.”

After the end of a destructive eleven-year conflict, the Government of Sierra Leone, with the support of the United Nations and other external partners, has made significant progress towards lasting peace, national recovery and democratization of the country. However, these achievements remain vulnerable and need to be consolidated and sustained with the support of the international community.


聯合國於3月1日宣佈捐助三千五百萬美元協助位於獅子山共和國的PBF(Peace building Fund)以回復當地和平；此外，當地的CSO(Civil Society Organizations)也將會協助PBF能順利運行。關於PBF，這係由各地募集資金所構成的基金，用來幫助各個需要幫助的地區，像是獅子山以及其他類似狀況的地區。而在紐約，PBC(Peacebuilding Commission)總部，的Carolyn McAskie小姐表示：PBF是個協助國家重建和平的機制。但這重新建立的和平依然脆弱無助，需要各地人士能出錢出力，幫助PBF，幫助各地需要幫助的國家。

註：獅子山共和國的PBF成立於2006年10月資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

Freetown, Sierra Leone, 9 March 2007 --- A top United Nations official said during a press briefing at UNIOSIL headquarters on the new United Nations peacebuilding architecture that Sierra Leone has set an example in maintaining peace. And that is after over a decade long conflict that left an estimated 50,000 people dead and thousands maimed. The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Ms. Carolyn McAskie, told a room-full of local journalists and international correspondents that “the war has been over for five years, the peace has held, I think that's a gold standard. Five years is a long time after the kind of deep and violent conflict which took place here in Sierra Leone. There is still a lot to do though”, she added. Ms. McAskie visited the country from 6 to 8 March 2007 and had meetings with government officials, civil society representatives, the donor community and the United Nations Country Team.
According to the Head of the UN Peacebuilding Office progress is expected to continue in consolidating the country's peace with a “$35 million envelope out of the Peace Building Fund” which the UN Secretary-General recently approved for Sierra Leone. That money would be spent on urgent peacebuilding projects to be decided by a Steering Committee. The Committee comprises various stakeholders and will be co-chaired by the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone at the country level. The Executive Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Sierra Leone, Mr. Victor Angelo, noted during the press conference, that the Steering Committee will soon begin its work.

In response to a question on the overall resource requirements for peacebuilding efforts in Sierra Leone, Ms. McAskie expressed the hope that the US$35 million allocated from the Peace Building Fund (PBF) can play an important catalytic role in attracting additional donor support to further consolidate the peace process. The ASG further observed that Sierra Leone has done a great deal of work in advancing a peace consolidation agenda, and commended civil society groups who she said “are organizing in very strategic and impressive way”, adding that the role of the press as well is very important in the peace process.
“Sustaining attention on a crisis or a post crisis period is very, very critical and I see this as the most important part of the work of the Peace Building Commission”, Ms. McAskie said.

Ms. McAskie announced that a delegation from members of the Peace Building Commission would soon be coming to Sierra Leone “to get a sense of developments on the ground and to better inform the Commission on the next steps of engagement with the country”. She explained that the visit would help in developing “an integrated peacebuilding strategy”. Carolyn McAskie referred in this regard to the country's Peace Consolidation Strategy as an example of the “great deal of work” that has been done and that the PBC would be building on.

The Peacebuilding Commission is a recommendation from the 2005 World Summit and has a mandate, among other things, to assist post-conflict countries in consolidating peace and prevent from relapsing to war. It currently has Sierra Leone and Burundi under consideration.

在過去，死於戰爭的獅子山人民高達五萬以上，而存活下來的民眾，其中也有數千名手腳殘疾。在戰爭結束的五年後，ASG組織伸出了援手，協助在當地建立PBF(Peace Building Fund)，希望能夠重建當地的和平時代。3月1日，聯合國捐助當地的PBF三千五百萬美元助其重建，而Carolyn McAskie小姐表示，希望PBF是和平的催化劑，且能妥善運用各地捐贈的金錢、物資以幫助各地重建，並且能夠成為一種建立和平上的指標。資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

Freetown, Sierra Leone, 9 March 2007 --- The Government of Japan has announced a US$2.8 million contribution to the 2007 Elections in Sierra Leone. This contribution from the people of Japan will support the National Elections Commission (NEC) in their organisation of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, scheduled to take place on 28 July, 2007.
The purchase of vital materials for the smooth operation of voting on polling day and the construction of a warehouse at the new NEC headquarters, are just two areas the Japanese contribution will fund.
The donation by the Government of Japan complements a larger ‘basket fund’ of contributions from the international donor community, which comprises of the European Union, United Kingdom (DFID), Ireland (Irish Aid) and the Danish Government. Together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resources, this basket of donors is supporting the electoral institutions of NEC, the Political Parties Registration Commission and the Electoral Offences Court, to ensure credible elections.

The assistance of these donors has paid off already in a number of ways, including arranging for timely cargo flights to provide NEC district offices with voter registration training kits and the delivery of essential equipment to all voter registration centers. The international community contributions have been coordinated by the UNDP, in close association with the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone, UNIOSIL.

Preparations for the elections are well underway with registration running from now until 18 March, at 2740 Registration Centres around the country. According to Victor Angelo, head of the UN system in Sierra Leone, ‘the contribution from the people of Japan arrives at a crucial time in the electoral process, and creates the conditions for better planning of the next phases of the electoral process.’

日本政府於3月9日宣佈捐助280萬美金給獅子山共和國，希望當地能夠順利完成總統大選(2007年7月28日)。日本政府不僅是捐助金錢，也捐助其他物資，像是NEC(National Elections Commission)的總部，以及幫助訓練選舉期間的人力、技術。除了日本政府之外，許多國際組織，像是European Union, United Kingdom (DFID), Ireland (Irish Aid)以及Danish Government，也幫助獅子山使其選舉能順利、可信。獅子山當地表示，日本的資源宛如即時雨，幫助當地能建立更好的選舉流程資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

UN Peacebuilding Commission can help states avoid renewed conflict – officials told General Assembly
New York, 6 February 2007 --- War-ravaged countries suffering from destabilizing factors such as poverty and lack of good governance can benefit from the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, officials told the General Assembly today. Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa pointed out that the Peacebuilding Commission has already started dealing with Burundi and Sierra Leone, two countries which have emerged from conflict with the UN’s support.

“The challenge now lies primarily in the need for the international community to deliver on the pledges made to assist the peoples of these countries in their efforts to rebuild the institutional and human capacity needed for comprehensive and lasting peace,” she said.

She stressed that the UN must help countries to address the link between poverty, weak State capacity and instability, which lead countries to relapse into conflict. “The Peacebuilding Commission has an important substantive and coordinating role to play in promoting post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery, including respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

She also stressed the importance of the Peacebuilding Fund, which has received over $140 million in pledges, urging all countries to work together to reach the $250 million funding target. “I will personally write to a number of potential donors to encourage them to contribute to the Peacebuilding Fund so that the funding target is met,” Sheikha Haya said.

Also addressing the Assembly, which heard from over 20 speakers, was the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Dalius Cekuolis, who hailed the Peacebuilding Commission as a tool that would better enable the UN to promote sound policies on poverty eradication, sustainable development and human rights.

Mr. Cekuolis pointed out that nine out of 10 countries with the lowest human development indicators have experienced conflict at some point since 1990. “These countries are clearly the farthest away from achieving the targets and goals set out in the United Nations development agenda,” he said.

But he said the Economic and Social Council had taken several important steps to help post-conflict countries, such as Guinea-Bissau and Burundi, to plan a coordinated approach to peace and development. “ECOSOC is ready to support the work of the Peacebuilding Commission collectively and through its members.

The General Assembly was debating the work of the Peacebuilding Commission for the first time since that body’s establishment in December 2005.

PBC(Peacebuilding Commission)協助遭到戰爭遺害的地區，像是蒲隆地或是獅子山等地方，去幫助重建和平，以及去避免內部流血衝突再一次的發生，也希望能夠將「和平」永遠地流傳下去。Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa表示，她希望聯合國務必幫助那些貧窮、政局不穩定的國家，以脫離不穩定的生活。此外，她也表示將以個人的名義去尋求潛在的捐贈者來一起協助PBF(Peacebuilding Fund)。
資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

UN in Sierra Leone: Statement on harmful traditional practices affecting women and children Freetown, Sierra Leone, 8 March 2007 --- The United Nations in Sierra Leone takes the opportunity of the International Women’s Day, to call for an end to the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), early and forced marriages, and all harmful traditional practices against women and children. As part of the efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, particularly those of improving maternal health and promoting gender equality, the UN considers FGM as an infringement of the basic rights of women and girls. The practice violates the right to be free from violence, abuse, torture, cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sierra Leone is signatory. Apart from exposing women and girls, some of them very young, to serious physical and mental health risks, FGM affects the education of girls as many are taken from schools and kept in “initiation bushes” for weeks.

In this regard, the United Nations calls upon the leadership of Sierra Leone, at all levels, to commit themselves to intensified efforts towards stopping the practice of FGM in all its forms, as well as early and forced marriages. We urge the Government, at the earliest, to accelerate the enactment of the Child Rights Bill to give effect to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the three drafts bills - Domestic Violence, Registration of Customary Marriages and Divorce, and Devolution of
Estates. The enactment of these bills will create the conditions for the implementation of the Convention on the Eradication of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).The United Nations further calls upon all Political Parties to desist from underwriting the costs of FGM or using the practice as a political campaign strategy for the 2007 elections.

The United Nations also appeals to the religious leaders of all faiths to exercise their moral authority to end the practice, and to Civil Society Organizations to embark upon concerted sensitization of the populations on the dangerous effects of the practice with the view of bringing about change in attitude.

The United Nations reaffirms its support to every effort aimed at ending all harmful traditional practices and promoting gender equality and human rights, including those of women and girls.


聯合國搭上三八的婦女節的列車，趁機在獅子山內宣導破除以往傷害婦女以及孩童的習俗，像是FGM (female genital mutilation)這種違反人權的習俗。同時，聯合國也呼籲各層階級的官員去制止這種行為再次發生；也希望各種宗教的領袖以道德的方式去說服當地的人民破除這項習俗。
資料來源：http://www.uniosil.org/

New year’s message by Victor Angelo, Executive Representative of the Secretary-General and UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone Freetown, 1 January 2007 --- A new year brings hope for better lives, better prospects and better opportunities. But it is only through sustained peace, security, respect for human rights and development that the hopes of every Sierra Leonean will be realized. There are many challenges ahead of us – credible elections, women’s empowerment, tackling unemployment, and creating the conditions for human development.
I am sure that the people of Sierra Leone will build upon the successes achieved so far, and continue to work together to promote and consolidate the existing culture of peace, through dialogue on critical national issues. When there is peace, there are dividends to enjoy. People will feel safe enough to go about their daily lives – to till the land, harvest the crops, develop livelihoods, go to school, invest, create jobs, construct homes and build a future 2007 is a significant year for Sierra Leone as the country prepares for the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in July. The experience we have so far with the electoral work has convinced us that the process can remain on track. We salute the independence demonstrated by the National Electoral Commission (NEC), and encourage all the parties to continue to collaborate with the Commission. Adherence to the Political Party’s Code of Conduct will decisively contribute to a constructive electoral climate. It is encouraging that in November 2006, eight political parties signed a Code of Conduct for the Elections.
The establishment of a Media Code of Conduct for election coverage is also vital. So too is voter education and a successful registration, which will start on 26 February.

Other critical tasks call for attention. As we recognize the relevance of being the first country to partner with the newly established UN Peace building Commission, and congratulate the government for this meaningful international commitment, we should keep in mind that the priorities agreed with the Commission require steadfast implementation to consolidate stability and democracy. Youth unemployment remains a major issue. There is a need to harness the young people’s abilities and to sharpen their skills through education, vocational and professional training programmes, and to develop their management skills. Food security is also imperative for the well-being of citizens. Improved agricultural productivity, and adequate post-harvest techniques, will provide better nutrition and health for both rural and urban communities. The growth of small-scale farming and farm-related businesses and industries will generate additional rural incomes. All these will create firmer conditions for private sector growth. Efficient management of Sierra Leone’s natural resources, such as mining and fisheries, will ensure a sustainable future for its people. However, providing regulated access to these resources and markets remain a challenge. This is where public-private sector partnerships are useful for infrastructure and market development.
The establishment of a Media Code of Conduct for election coverage is also vital. So too is voter education and a successful registration, which will start on 26 February.

We must step up our work to secure a viable future for the men, women and children of Sierra Leone. There are still mountains to climb. The international community must continue to support those negotiating steep inclines to ensure that no key player loses balance. We believe in the future of Sierra Leone.

As 2007 beckons and as we stand together, the UN staff and I share with the people of Sierra Leone a vista of hope in the year ahead.

新年帶來了希望，帶來了更好的生活以及機會，但僅限在和平、安全、重視人權的地區。獅子山的人們就沒法過著相同的日子，因為當地充斥著各種不安、危機。不過，當地的人們致力於重建屬於他們的現存的和平文化，想要享受著各種和平帶來的好處：上學、做生意、找工作、以及盛大的收獲。然而現在機會來了！在2007年7月的總統大選就是獅子山民眾的機會。因此他們尋找NEC(National Electoral Commission)的協助以確保一切能夠順利。當然，其他的事情也被密切注意著，像是當地的失業率、食物來源、農業採收量以及當地資源管理等。現今，依然有許多的事需要各地的幫忙、協助，幫助獅子山人民去掌握屬於他們的未來！ 資源來源：http://www.uniosil.org/