“There is Something Good in Sierra Leone” – Celebrating 50 years of Independence
Yesterday marked Sierra Leone’s 50th independence anniversary. We found the following video at Africa is a Country, which features the Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars as they take to the streets of Freetown to speak about what independence has meant for Sierra Leoneans.
The All Stars are a band of Sierra Leoneans that formed in a Guinean refugee camp, where its members had been displaced during Sierra Leone’s civil war. They began performing to entertain fellow refugees, taking their music from camp to camp as they moved around. Their story was told by American filmmakers Zach Niles and Banker White in the critically acclaimed film of the same name–well worth checking out!
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
— Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
SFCG Director of Communications, Susan Koscis (left) and Glenda Booth in a Washington Post photo taken at yesterday’s Shad Planking in Virginia.
SFCG Communications Director, Susan Koscis, joined leading Virginia politicians at the annual Shad Planking in Wakefield, Virginia yesterday. The event began in the 1930’s as a small social gathering of rural Virginia men. It took its name from the bony shad that are nailed to a plank and cooked over an open fire. The event has been a staple of Virginia political life for over six decades.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) was there and spoke enthusiastically about the efforts of the so-called “Gang of Six,” of which he is one. This group of three Democrat and three Republican senators are working together to come up with a sustainable budget proposal. Susan said she admired what Sen. Warner had to say about the importance of bipartisan action. Before leaving he told the people surrounding him that regardless of political persuasion his advice to people is “try to find candidates who can 1) read a budget and 2) who are rational.”
SFCG’s country pogram in Kosovo, the Center for Common Ground (CCG) is partnering with the YMCA to organize youth competitions in Pristina, Prizren and Mitrovica. These competitions aim to increase youth creativity and encourage engagement in their communities.
A group of youth presents its project in front of the Evaluation Committee, in Pristina
The competition participants, between 15- and 22-years old, previously received training by CCG Kosovo in leadership, conflict transformation and project management skills. More than 100 of these youth, grouped into teams of three to five, submitted projects promoting peace and tolerance. Teams were made up of youth with Albanian, Serbian and Roma ethnic backgrounds, promoting interethnic cooperation.
The teams presented their projects to representatives from CCG Kosovo and the YMCA as well as the local and national government for judging. The best ten projects were then awarded grants of EUR 2,500 to implement their project.
Several of the winning projects will be implemented in rural areas, providing an opportunity for youth from marginalized and remote areas to directly participate in the democratic processes in their communities. A multi-ethnic youth team from Prishtina will produce a short video promoting common values and a positive future for all young people within Kosovo. The clip will be aired on TV! Another team will organize basketball tournaments for youth from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Each winning team will work to implement their respective programs, promoting positive change and youth participation in their communities.
Additionally, CCG Kosovo has two Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in production, which will be broadcast on national TV. These PSAs focus on the work of the youth teams, thus highlighting positive examples of constructive youth participation and inter-ethnic cooperation.
To learn more about SFCG’s programs in Kosovo, please visit our website here.
Children gather around a radio in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Our Sierra Leone Country Director, Ambrose Jones, was interviewed by Lisa Mullins of PRI’s The World, about the Independent Radio Network (IRN). IRN was started by Search for Common Ground after the 2002 elections, partly as a way to share the results with rural and remote communities.
From four stations, the Independent Radio Network has grown to include more than 30 community and privately owned radio stations in all of Sierra Leone’s 14 districts. In Sierra Leone, radio is the means that many people stay abreast of issues affecting them: information about health policies, trade markets and more. IRN member stations are subscribe to a code of conduct that supports ethical reporting and a high level of professionalism.
IRN speaks to the desire for diverse voices and independent space, though as Ambrose says, “holding that space is quite a challenge.” Sierra Leone’s climate, vacillating between dusty and humid, is rough on radio equipment. The radio stations run on generators that often break, and while they can be fixed, more remote stations lack the capacity to do so. One benefit of membership in the the network is access to technical and material support like replacement generators and transmitters.
Despite challenges, Sierra Leoneans are committed to keeping community radio alive and well. Most of the IRN stations are staffed wholly by volunteers and when they run out of fuel to keep the generators going, it is often community members who find a way to get them on the air again.
“When the radio’s on, it’s like light for the people, and when the radio’s off, it’s like darkness.”
~Ambrose James
Learn more about radio in Sierra Leone and listen to Ambrose’s interview here. Also be sure to check out other work we’re doing in Sierra Leone!
SFCG Nepal Staff Invited to World Bank
Pradip Pariyar, Media Manager SFCG Nepal
Our Nepal Media Manager, Pradip Pariyar was recently invited to take part in the World Bank’s annual Spring Meeting as one of ten youth leaders selected.
This year young people (all under 35) have come from ten different countries, including Egypt, Yemen, and Tunisia. The World Bank selects the participants from countries they work in, based on consultations with different stakeholders. Pradip, 29, was surprised, but honored when he received his invitation.
Pradip has worked with SFCG for nearly five years, but he has long been involved with youth leadership and empowerment. In his school days he was part of the Junior Youth RedCross Circle and in was involved with college politics and student leadership in college.
In addition to his work with SFCG, Pradip is also President of the Association of Youth Organizations of Nepal, an umbrella group organization of various Nepali groups working toward a shared agenda. That agenda includes policy level advocacy and building the capacity of youth organizations and young people.
His commitment to working with young people was strengthened when he traveled to remote districts of Nepal for his work with SFCG and saw widespread unemployment. Among younger children, it seemed that going back and forth to school was their only activity, with limited opportunities toe explore other interests. But they all had dreams, Pradip found, they were just unsure how to achieve them and disillusioned that such achievement was even possible. Now, he felt, was the right time to engage with and invest in youth and to this end he had advocated for youth focused policies at the government level.
“Our work is a teabag in the ocean,” Pradip says when asked about his impact. Complex problems are not going to be solved overnight but you must begin somewhere. “But it is still creating some impact. By helping young people to see that they are needed to build their society we are supporting the healing process,” he says.
