FUTURE IN OUR HANDS SIERRA LEONE

OCTOBER 2010

20 Lunsar Road, Makeni, Sierra Leone
Director: Edward B Kargbo
Mob: 232 76 657 669

EMail: fioh_sl@hotmail.com
  Brief History Of The Organization:
The Future In Our Hands Sierra Leone (FIOH-SL) is an indigenous Non-Governmental Organization with a Head Office in Makeni (Bombali district) and sub-offices in Kabala town (Koinadugu District) and Mile 91 (Tonkolili District). It was established in 1993 as an offshoot of what was formally the Yoni Farmers' Union. In 1994, as the situation in Sierra Leone deteriorated, the membership decided that FIOH had a vital role to play in providing assistance to those affected by the escalating conflict. The main focus of the organization during the rebel war was to complement the emergency and relief work of the Government of Sierra Leone, as well as that of international and national NGOs. During and immediately after the war, FIOH worked in collaboration with CARE International, Department for Internation al Development (DFID) UK, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) UK and the World Food Programme (WFP) UN, distributing food and other relief items to internally displaced persons in their operational areas. Further activities included providing psychosocial support to affected communities and raising awareness on Human Rights, HIV and AIDS prevention and control.
Following the end of the conflict in 2002, FIOH shifted its focus from emergency relief to development which involved building the capacity of communities for self reliance. It has continued to build partnerships and linkages with a variety of local and international organizations and is currently implementing two projects (Conservation Agriculture Project (CAP) and Villages Savings and Loans (VS&L) project with CARE-SL in Koinadugu District whilst the Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) is providing the human resource support. In addition, the FIOH-UK and UN/WFP are supporting Life Skills Trainings and Community Asset Creation for marginalized youths and communities.
FIOH-SL. also enjoys strong links with community based organisations (CBOs) at grassroots level aimed at building their capacities to better serve their communities.
Micro- Enterprise Development

Extending Micro-Finance Opportunity to Poor People (EMOP)
Although access to micro-finance has increased considerably in Sierra Leone since the end of the civil conflict, the services offered by micro finance remain beyond the reach of most poor Sierra Leoneans, especially those in the more remotely rural part of the country. This not only limits their ability to improve their economic conditions, but is also increasing their vulnerability to shocks.

In order to facilitate savings and sustainable capital injection for starting up or the expansion of micro enterprises in the rural communities, CARE International with its partner FIOH Sierra Leone has implemented the EMOP (Village Saving and Loans) project in Koinadugu District, Northern Region of Sierra Leone between September 2009 and January 2010.

  

The objective is to provide 6,690 economically poor people with useful financial services through the establishment of 221 sustainable Village Saving and Loans Associations in 84 communities within 4 chiefdoms.
The VS&L approach, unlike many micro-finance schemes, target the poorest (farmers, youths & women) who are often socially and economically marginalized and thus do not have access to MFIs product and services.

The table below shows existing VSLAs and their funding portfolios:
District Chiefdom No. of VSLAs formed No of communities Membership Total accumulated saving Le Accumulated social fund Accumulated interest
M F
Koinadugu Wara Wara Yagala 62 84 456 1445 593,021,000 70,792,398 241,514,020
Sengbeh 64 515 1,426
Kasunko 55 644 1,009
Diang 40 358 837
Total - 221 - 1,973 4,717 593,021,000 70,792,398 241,514,020

Agriculture and Food Security

Conservation Agriculture Project (CAP)
In order to increase CAP farm productivity and income through Conservation Agriculture, FIOH-SL in partnership with CARE is implementing a three year Conservation Agriculture project supported by the Howard Buffet Foundation USA.
The project aims to introduce innovative agricultural practices that are productive and environmentally sustainable benefiting 11,000 people including all land users and marginalized groups in 40 communities in 4 chiefdoms in Koinadugu District.
For the period under review (January 2009-August 2010) 3,035 farmers have been trained in conservation farming techniques (Slash no burn, minimum tillage, use of cover crops as permanent soil cover and crop rotation) including beekeeping and animal husbandry as a conservation agricultural project.
District Chiefdom No of villages Activity No of beneficiaries
Koinadugu

Wara Wara Yagala
Folosaba
Dembelia
Sengbe
Dembelia Sinkunia

 40

Training of farmers
Slash no burn
Zero/minimum tillage
Use of cover crops
Crop rotation

 3,000
8
Beekeeping
 20
25
Animal husbandry
 15
Food for work (FFW) Project
In complementing Sierra Leone government's drive to stimulate change and improve food security by the year 2015, FIOH-SL and UN/WFP implemented the community asset Rehabilitation project in March 2010 in Tonkolili and Kono Districts through food for work.
The overall project objective is to improve food security of households in the poor rural communities through Food for Work support.

Community Asset Rehabilitation Project:
District Chiefdom Activity Work output Tonnage Beneficiaries No of villages
Tonkolili District Gbonkolenken Tree crop rehabilitation 39 ha 19.869 103 3
- Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 40 ha 22.877 106 3
Sambaia Bendugu Tree crop rehabilitation 50 ha 14.308 134 7
- Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 30 ha 17.196 40 4
Kunike Tree crop rehabilitation 39 ha 19.825 41 2
Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 55 ha 34.314 159 4
Kalansogor Tree crop rehabilitation 50 ha 25.416 133 3
Kono Sandor Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 72 ha 41.487 203 4
Lei Tree crop rehabilitation 26 ha 14.898 70 2
- Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 58 ha 25.629 155 4
Gbaneh Kondor Tree crop rehabilitation 24 ha 13.433 52 2
- Inland valley swamp rehabilitation 23 ha 13.155 61 3
- Road rehabilitation 11 Km 31.487 147 6
Total - - - 293.894 1404 47
 

Education and Advocacy

Although the Sierra Leone Government has made frantic efforts to promote quality education by providing a conducive learning atmosphere for children yet still some children are under make-shift structure with limited teaching and learning materials.
To complement this, FIOH-SL and Voluntary Services Overseas has supported one primary and one secondary school in Yoni chiefdom. Through advocacy on behalf of the school management and committee to the Ministry of Education the schools are now equipped with teaching and learning materials and the teachers are on the government payroll.
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