On November 15th, AVSI’s 50th anniversary was celebrated in Sierra Leone. It was an opportunity to present all the work done in the country since 1999, the projects we implemented and the future goals to achieve together.
During the event, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs and the Ministry of Social Protection made a speech.
Moreover, local and international members of the staff had the opportunity to present AVSI’s activities in Sierra Leone.
AVSI in Sierra Leone
AVSI’s been active in Sierra Leone for 23 years now, and its action in the country mainly revolves around 3 pillars:
- Education
- Child protection
- Job creation
A close collaboration with local partners was developed over the years, which made it possible to reach agreements on long-term priorities. This allowed and will allow to lead the implementation of projects and the provision of services adapting them to the local context.
In Sierra Leone, we have been active in the field of Child Protection since the end of the civil war, when a particularly high number of children was in need for protection and there was a strong demand for intervention in post-traumatic and abandonment situations.
Gianni Bagaglia - AVSI Sierra Leone Country Representative
During the celebrations, letters were also given to the foster families selected through the project “HOME – Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone: a network to welcome and educate vulnerable minors” promoted by CAI, the Comitato Italiano per le Adozioni Internazionali (Italian Commission for International Adoptions).
This project supported the Department for Child Protection of Sierra Leone in finding and selecting foster families, providing training on parental roles and responsibilities. At the same time, AVSI also provided livelihood support and financial training to selected foster families, in order to ensure the sustainability of this action once the project comes to an end.
For AVSI, this is a very important achievement, especially because this activity ensured the creation of a local reception system that was not yet structured.
Before starting the process with AVSI, I thought I had all the knowledge necessary to raise my children in the best possible way, but after the training I did, thanks to the HOME project, I discovered new parental skills that one must have when interacting with a minor.
Leswe Oshe Whenzle - Foster Parent
The secret of this success is definitely the great commitment that each staff member puts into their work, in order to be part of the change together, every day.
