Last month saw the inauguration of the new president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma. Despite international expectation to the contrary, the summer elections passed off in a largely peaceful manner. It was the first election without international military presence since the civil war ended five years ago so marks a huge step in the country’s transition to peace and democracy. VSO partners and volunteers played a key role in this year’s election, and will continue to do so as the country moves forward in its development.
The making of celebrities
As you travel around Sierra Leone it is impossible to avoid posters urging citizens to vote in the recent elections. At every turn, stunning images of Sierra Leoneans chatting in groups or provocatively displaying their inked thumb to the camera stare at you from billboards, shop windows, NGO notice boards and even car bumpers. They urge, ‘Women: make your mark” and “Vote for the candidate that shares your concerns”.
They are everywhere. And they were designed by a VSO Youth for Development volunteer. Simon Bateson worked at the National Election Commission (NEC), a body charged with ensuring the elections of summer 2007 were well attended, peaceful, fair and transparent. For one summer the subjects of his posters became national celebrities!
Young people in Sierra Leone
The NEC wasn’t the only VSO partner to play its role in the elections this year. To date our programme in Sierra Leone has focused its efforts on Secure Livelihoods and Participation and Governance, with the target beneficiary group of youth. Over 55% of the population is classed as youth.
In Sierra Leone youth means ages 18 – 35, not the international norm of 25. The reason is simple: for ten years during the civil war young people were denied an education, thousands were orphaned and many were recruited as child soldiers. The liberty taken with demographic labelling is giving them the opportunity to regain these lost years through the myriad youth development programmes currently on offer.
Earning opportunities for young people
It is a widely held view that in order for peace and stability to sustain there must be livelihood opportunities for young people and an understanding amongst them of the democratic process. This year’s elections were seen as a key turning point and an opportunity for the major political parties to put their offering on the table. However, there was also recognition that young people were particularly vulnerable to adults making them mouthpieces for their views and perpetrators of violence in the lead up to the election.
In response to this concern, NEC and two other VSO partners – Youth Alliance for Peace and Development and the Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities - came together to hold a three day workshop educating 200 young people from around the country about the election process and the importance of voting.
Promotion of Peace
Fattu Bundu of Youth Alliance for Peace and Development says: “Our main objective was to engage them in the political dialogue so we brought in leaders from each of the main parties to tell them what they were planning on doing to address issues affecting youth. It really helped them decide how to cast their vote. There was also tension between two of the parties so we raised awareness about the importance of non violent elections.”
Following this workshop the participants were given an ‘election watch’ T shirt and a small allowance with which they travelled around their local areas, passing on their learning. At the elections 67% of those who were registered to vote were aged 18 – 35.
VSO Country Director Chals Wontewe says: “No one organisation can claim to be responsible for the peaceful elections this summer but it is without doubt that our youth partners, and the volunteers working with them, played a key part in the activities.”
Radio Times
VSO also offered support through a funded programme of radio campaigning. Radios are omnipresent in Sierra Leone: some estimate that over 90% of the population has access to the radio. People travel, work, relax and socialise within earshot. Many of our partners use radio campaigning to reach a larger number of their target audience, so as part of our strategy of support we purchased an amount of airtime to be used throughout the year. Understandably many partners chose to use time in the run up to the elections.
Sierra Leone Youth Empowerment Organisation, for example, used some of the time to target messages of peace to women in the communities. Monica Timola, gender adviser at SLYEO explains: “Men are frequently perpetrators of violence. Their wives have a huge influence on them so we targeted women with the message that they should talk to their husbands and discourage them from acts of violence during the election.”
The future
With the elections three months passed, and the president recently sworn in, there is a sense of hope for the future and belief in the promises made in the summer. But there is also recognition that it is a delicate situation. Abdul Bangura, a cobbler from Makeni says: “We are civilised and tolerant and think wisely now. People do not want violence but it is important for the government to act on its promises and improve the lives of the people that voted them into power.”
As Sierra Leone moves forward to the next chapter of its development VSO’s partners will continue to have a crucial role to play: they must now support local communities to raise awareness of development issues and hold their government to account. As more VSO volunteers continue helping to strengthen these organisations they will also be playing a role in what Abdul calls a “bright future”.
