| Regions: Africa Asia Latin America | |
|
Name of Organization: Agricultural Production Extension And General Services (APEGS) Country: Sierra Leone Project Title: "Combating Child Trafficking In Sambaia Bendugu Chiefdom of the Tonkolili District" Project Timeframe: 10 months Location of Project: Sambaia Bendugu Chiefdom of the Tonkolili District Budget Amount: $24,325 NGO contact and website: Eugenia Taqi Admin Coordinator eugenia_fisher@hotmail.com, bsbtaqi@yahoo.com Roland Johnson Project Officer rolandjay26@yahoo.co.uk NGO phone/fax numbers: +232-76-604492, +232-33-312471 Street address: 7 Fisher Drive, Cocklebay Freetown City: Freetown State/County: Sierra Leone Project's Primary Objective: Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and child labor Description of Organization: APEGS is a national NGO formed in 1996 by Sierra Leoneans whose mission was to improve the standard of living through increased food production by the provision of appropriate technical services. APEGS realizes the non-agricultural needs of its beneficiaries and seeks to attend to these needs to the best of its ability. The staff of APEGS consists of a specialist in Information management, who has a wealth of experience in both the private and education sectors, serving as Executive Director. There are also specialists in the field of Agriculture, Economics, Accounting and Rural Sociology. APEGS has worked in partnership with both local and international agencies in its sectors of operations i.e., Agriculture (crops, animals, and support services including training), forestry, youth in development, child welfare, women’s program, rural development and relief services. APEGS has a reliable and dependable accounting system set in place to complement its programs. Currently, APEGS operates in the Western Area, Kenema, Kailahun, Bombali, Koinadugu, and Tonkolili Districts. APEGS is one of the major implementing partners for the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) in Sierra Leone. APEGS distributes WFP commodities and also supervise other organizations in the implementation of WFP programs. APEGS has worked with agencies like World Vision, European Commissions/ Sierra Leone Resettlement and Rehabilitation Program (EC/SLRRP), CARE International and other government agencies. APEGS is a member of the National Agricultural Technical Committee. Description of Project funded by CIRCLE: The main focus of the project will be training the chiefdom functionaries at Bendugu, establishing the Literary and Debating Society, setting up local committees, and holding workshops for awareness-raising. Two Local Committees, one in Bendugu and another in Kunya, will be set up. These local committees will consist of women and youth representatives, chiefs, student representatives, and extension agents. Two extension agents will be part of the committees, one in the Kunya committee, and the other in the Bendugu committee. They will be contracted from within the two communities. The chiefs being part of the local committees will monitor the activities of the extension agents when the project phase out. The employers of the children will loose whatever they have paid for the services of the children. The project does not envisage much negotiation, as the employers are already depriving the children of their right to education. In the event that employers would want to hold on to their laborers, the chiefs will intervene, and consequently, the chiefdom functionaries. The training will increase the capacity of the chiefdom functionaries to intercept and prosecute child traffickers. The training module will comprise not only the anti-human trafficking act, but also other issues including;
Community Teachers Association (CTA) meetings are held once every term in these areas. Presentations on child trafficking and child labor will form part of the agenda of these CTA meetings. The Literary and Debating Society, which is the key for peer group pressure, will be established at the start of the project. It will serve as an awareness raising mechanism to sensitize at risk children on child trafficking and child labor issues. In line with the training sessions, HIV/ AIDS will also be included in the workshops and within the Literary and Debating Society. Children in Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1, 2 and 3 will meet during the last two periods of every Friday to exchange news and views through debates, discussions, quizzes and drama. Six workshops will be held. This will ensure that the locals fully grasp the issues of child trafficking, its repercussions, and the criminality of child trafficking under the Laws of Sierra Leone. Personal interviews will be conducted in each area before and after the workshops. 3000 people will be targeted in both Kunya and Bendugu. It is significant to note that Kunya, with all its mining output does not have a primary school, as children are considered to be better off seeking fortunes quite early. Children have to travel 3 miles to the nearest village to attend school. In the absence of social workers within the community, social workers will be contracted from the headquarter town of Tonkolili Chiefdom, Magburaka, to serve as facilitators during these workshops. These social workers will travel to the designated location for these workshops. The already established local committees will be on hand to mobilize community members towards attendance. Project Targets (Common Indicators): Enrollment: 10 (out of 20) tracked children will be enrolled in school Persistence: Transition: Completion: |
|
 |
 |
|
CIRCLE Project NGO Partners in Africa