Sierra Leone

Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of the Sierra Leone Ebola Recovery Fund (SLERF)

With this National Fund now established, the Government of Sierra Leone is seeking contributions from partners including donors who pledged at UN International Ebola conference, other governments, foundations, the private sector and the public at large. To demonstrate leadership and ownership, the Government of Sierra Leone is contributing US$ 1 million into the Trust Fund.

Greater inclusion of women and youth in work will spur human development in Sub-Saharan Africa

The report, ‘Work for Human Development’, promotes sustainability and equitable and decent work for all, through encouraging governments to consider work beyond jobs—such as unpaid care, voluntary, creative work and more. Only by taking a broader view can the benefits of work be truly harnessed for human development, the report says.

Bolstering community participation in constitutional review

In total 394 Wards have been reached with 800 community volunteers deployed on Constitutional kiosks to sensitize the public and encourage their participation through the Constitutional Review Committee’s public submission forms. The trained community volunteers assist individuals and groups to fill out submission forms as well as collect completed forms.

Sierra Leone after Ebola, Isolation facilities to help transform prisons.

Separate Isolation Units built to prevent the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone’s over-crowded prisons are now contributing to the transformation of Sierra Leone’s punitive detention facilities into rehabilitative Correctional Centres. Four new holding units built originally to serve as Ebola Isolation Units will serve new purposes in a post Ebola context in four cities in Sierra Leone – Makeni, Kenema, Bo and Freetown.

UNDP Africa launches initiative to help prevent and respond to violent extremism

The four-year UNDP initiative aims to address the root causes and enabling factors of violent extremism, and proposes actions across different types of countries – those directly affected by violent extremist acts such as Kenya, Mali and Nigeria; those suffering the spillover effects, such as Cameroon and Chad; and those that could be at risk.

Sierra Leone launches first mobile financial services guidelines.

Following the successful digitization of hazard payments to over 24,000 Ebola Response Workers under the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response by UNDP and UNCDF, the Government of Sierra Leone committed to advance its transition from cash to digital payments by joining the UN partnership, the Better Than Cash Alliance.

Community Policing project launched in Kambia.

With the outbreak of Ebola in the Mano River Union countries, which started in Guinea and the fact that the epidemic is still not over in Guinea, the need for strong security screening and high alert in the border areas, is not only significant for preventing any further Ebola case crossing the border, but also addressing the rising trans-national crime taking root in the West African region.

After the MDGs, renewed commitment and financing required to spur Africa’s development

UNDP, Red Cross to help reintegrate Ebola burial teams

For a year, 800 out of 2,300 burial workers, infection control and prevention volunteers will receive psychosocial counselling and vocational and skills training so they can find new jobs and reintegrate their communities. They worked at the frontlines, and played a vital role in slowing down the epidemic. But many of them suffered extreme stress, and are still being stigmatized.

“Small arms pose a great threat to society” as Sierra Leone launches weapons collection in border areas.

The project launch which attracted local authorities, government officials, security officials, civil society organizations and development partners is a pilot weapons collection programme that will target border towns and villages in ECCOWAS countries including Niger, Mali, Guinea, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone. It hopes to collect arms in exchange for development activities, which would be made possible through the 5.6 Million Euros funding from the European Union.