|
In 2002 11 year civil war ended in Sierra Leone , leaving a shattered infrastructure and a generation of children and youth without adequate schooling. It is estimated that, due to the war and its consequences, more than 400,000 children aged 10-15 years have missed schooling or have never been to school. In fact, already before the war Sierra Leone was one of the poorest countries on planet and despite the significant steps the country since 2002 has taken towards peace, Sierra Leone remains today on the bottom of the Human Development Index with an estimated 85% of the population living in extreme poverty.
Free primary education was introduced in 2002 resulting in a considerable improvement of school enrolment rates. However, it is also recognized that the regional and gender disparities are considerable, with the Northern and Eastern districts lagging furthest behind. Due to the war, a high amount of the adolescences of the country likewise lag behind, as they have been affected by or involved in the war and thus have not had access to any basic literacy and numeracy learning opportunities. Reaching this group of Sierra Leonean is crucial to not only achieve development of the country but also to ensure continued peace keeping.
In December 2005 the UN peace keeping mission in Sierra Leone withdrew and with this most relief institutions are now planning to withdraw or reduce their efforts in the country. Hence, Sierra Leone now faces the dire need for long-term development assistance in the transition phase from conflict resolution and peace keeping towards development of the country and improvement of the population's livelihood opportunities. |
