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Back to FIOH International Network		FUTURE IN OUR HANDS SIERRA LEONE 9 Bathurst Street P.M.B. 430 Freetown Sierra Leone West Africa EMail: fioh_sl@hotmail.com
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Ideas Bank Personal testimonies Campaign News Youth counter culture Lifestyle Guidelines Future World Agenda 21 HOW YOU CAN BECOME INVOLVED	BACKGROUND An FIOH group was established by Olatunde Johnson in Freetown in the 1980s and registered as a national non-government organisation by Edward Kargbo in 1995. The first interest in the movement arose from an article in the New Internationalist and the second from a seminar at Port Loko when Mike Thomas paid a second visit to the country in 1991. Edward, who attended the seminar, formed an association of 13 farmers groups which was then named the FIOH Farmers Union. The name was later changed to FIOH Sierra Leone. A more detailed account of the history from 1988 to 2003, including news extracts on the civil war, are described in the following pages: 1. FIOH Fund Projects in Sierra Leone 2. Sierra Leone Diary - Report on Mike Thomas's visit in 2000 3. Sierra Leone Diary - Report on Mike Thomas's visit in 2002

The Structure of FIOH Sierra Leone

Mission Statement The Mission of FIOH Sierra Leone is to co-ordinate and facilitate the efforts of village development groups by making them accessible to farming inputs, modern farming techniques, education and skills development programmes, sanitation and credit facilities for self-sustainability and self reliance. Programme interventions - capacity building, food security, women and youth empowerment, environmental health and sanitation, advocacy.

		Food for work During 2003 FIOH Sierra Leone was able to increase its operational area to include 3 chiefdoms (Kissy Tongi, Njaluahun and Dea) in the Kailahun District and two chiefdoms (Kalansogoia and Sambaia Benduga) in the Tonkolili District. FIOH SL is also an implementing partner to the World Food Programme, CARE, World Vision, CRS and DFID (UK)/CRP.
The following farming families were supported with rice seeds, food for work schemes and with local food processing:-
District	Chiefdom			Number of beneficiaries		Total
			Male		Female
Tonkolili	Sambaia Bendugu		590		710	1,300
	Kalansogola		650		950	1,600
Koinadugu	Diang		250		400	650
	Neini		150		200	350
Kailahun	Kissi Tongi		350		600	950
	Njaluahun		120		209	329
			2,110		3,069	5,179

These activities were carried out between February 2003 and December 2003

		Vegetable seeds were supplied to 350 men and 600 women farmers in the Tonkolili and Kailahun districts. This activity was started in September 2003 and was finished in December 2003. Under the Food for Work programme FIOH distributed ceral, lentils and vegetable oil to over 6,000 beneficiaries. Feeder roads were constructed under the direction of FIOH under the same programme.
	Ten women were trained in making baby food and processing cassava into gari and foofoo.
	School construction A preparatory school for 135 children was constructed at Yonibana. Women's micro credit A savings and credit scheme was introduced and now services 600 rural women in 5 groups. This has enabled women to avoid taking loans from money lenders who charge high interest rates. Small scale industry development Training in soap making was provided for women in the village of Maconbay. The women are now making over a thousand each month which are sold in the local market. Training in carpentry, blacksmithing, tailoring and gara-dyeing is being provided at the Yonibana FIOH training centre for 50 young men and women, some of which are ex-combatants. The centre also acts as a shop from which the items made can be sold. Two students graduated in tailoring and were given sewing machines and the two best students were employed as instructors at the centre.


Carpentry workshop	Food aid distributed by FIOH under the WFP food for work programme.	Training in gara-dyeing techniques.


	FIOH meeting
		Demonstration seed multiplication project
Trainees		Demonstration seed multiplication project

FIOH Fourah Bay Road
An FIOH group has been formed alongside one Freetown's main streets and comprises mainly young people engaged in a wide range of income generating activities.

Selling processed foods

Jewelry making

Tailoring

Cycle repairs

Fabricated metal components

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