Project Sierra: A Family and a Future was a four year partnership from 2007 – 2011, between Soroptimist International and the UK based international Non Governmental (NGO), Hope and Homes for Children. At that time, Sierra Leone was facing the challenge of reconstructing physical and social infrastructures after a decade of war which had devastated the country leaving much of its population impoverished and traumatised.

Bev Bucur visiting Project Sierra

Project Sierra was a child-centred programme, working to ensure that children who were highly vulnerable, isolated from their families or living in dire poverty, were given the basics to gain a stable, safe family life with the possibilities of financial security.

The programme had three components:

Young mother support: poverty, sexual exploitation and violence during and after the conflict, led to high rates of teenage pregnancy. Many young mothers were estranged from their families, fending for themselves and highly vulnerable. Through the project, with counselling and practical support, teen mums were reunited with their families and communities. The girls returned to school, or did skills training courses to enable them to gain employment and become financially self-supporting; they also attended life skills and healthcare classes. Whilst the young mums were in class, their babies were cared for at the project’s day nurseries.

Accessing education – Project Sierra

Nearly 450 young mums, and a similar number of their children undertook this programme; 3 years after Project Sierra ended, over 90% of the teen mum participants were found to be in employment or running a small business and able to support themselves and their children. “They took care of me and my baby so I could focus on learning.” “I am part of the community now; they listen to me and ask for my opinion.”

Active family support: families most at risk of breakdown due to poverty, illness, death or absence of parents were identified by their local community for support through Project Sierra. Many were grandmother-headed households in remote rural villages, with the grandma looking after several children. Each family received a tailor-made package of support, to ensure they had healthcare, a safe living environment (in some cases, providing a roof or repairs for their modest home), the children could go to school, and access to income generation – such as livestock, seeds to grow crops, or skills and start-up grants to start a small business. The project enabled families to become self-sufficient, children to grow with confidence within their communities. Of the 525 families (caring for nearly 1400 children) supported by this limb of the programme, over 90% remained economically active and self-supporting three years later.

Soroptimists worldwide supported Project Sierra, raising funds to enable the teams of social workers and staff to undertake their work and supporting the young women, families to break the cycles of poverty and desperation and become active members of their communities. We also shared the learning from the Project as models of excellence in childcare and in extremely poor and post conflict countries with NGOs, UN bodies and others.

Written by Alison Sutherland, Quadrennial Project Liaison

Click on the microphone to visit the SI Voices Podcast Page to listen to ‘Tough Women, Tough Topics, featuring Alison Sutherland and Project Sierra