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Relevant background information
Sierra Leone’s involvement with Child-to-Child concepts began in the late 1980s when the country took a major part in the Child-to-Child’s Teacher education project whose report Child-to-Child Approaches to Colleges and Schools in Africa is available from the Child-to-Child Trust, London. There was a high degree of government involvement in the project, with the Head of the Curriculum Development Centre as Chairperson of the steering Committee and the Government Chief Paediatrician also strongly involved. Child-to-Child concepts were also integrated into the Physical and Health Education component of the school curriculum. UNESCO provided support in the shape of its representative Jones Kyazze.
Three colleges (Makeni, Bo and Freetown) and associated schools were nominated and programmes operated and monitored in the early 1990s. At this time economic and political conditions within the republic were worsening and difficulties listed in the report prepared for the final 1992 Nairobi workshop include significantly, ‘interruption of classes as a result of frequent closure of schools’ and ‘closure of a number of schools due to rebel incursions’.
Later, an important pre-school project, headed by the former head of the Curriculum Development Centre and supported by Caritas, used Child-to-Child approaches and adapted activities from Toys for Fun. However, as unrest turned to civil war all activities virtually ceased, though interest doubtless remains and is reviving as stability returns.
Pikin-to-Pikin Movement
We started implementing our Child-to-Child activities in 1994 when we established our organisation called Pikin-To-Pikin Movement. The staff of the organisation organises and implements all the Child-to-Child activities in our operational areas. We work closely with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, particularly the Health Education Division. The personnel of this division are involved in the areas of training, facilitation, technical input/advice, and they assist us with personnel etc. The Child-to-Child activities are implemented in all our operational schools in Moyamba, Port Loko, Bombali and Tonkolili districts and the Western area. We are working with a total of 450 primary schools with 50 children per health club in each school. We are getting support from the Government of Sierra Leone, NGOs, individuals, civil society groups etc. For funding, we are presently being funded by Plan Sierra Leone, Concern Worldwide and UNICEF. Read more
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