Country at a crossroads: challenges facing young people in Sierra Leone six years after the war

This document summarises the findings and recommendations of a visit to Sierra Leone to assess the challenges facing displaced young people after the war. The authors looked at  young people’s needs, what services appear to be working, gaps in programming for young people and what more is needed.

The authors found that six years after the war ended, young people in Sierra Leone continue to be marginalised and lack opportunities.  Greater investment in and attention to young people are urgently needed, in particular:

• quality education, which requires that teachers get paid a living wage
• opportunities to get back into the formal school system through catch-up classes to make up for years lost because of the war
• investments in keeping young people in school, including income generation for families to make up for lost income when their children go to school
• skills training that is directly linked to market demand for young people for whom formal school is not an option.

The document states that the most effective youth programmes are those that combine education and vocational skills training so young people can earn money while going to school, or learn literacy skills while being apprenticed in a trade.

The document makes the following recommendations to the Government of Sierra Leone, in partnership with local communities, international and local organisations, the private sector, UN agencies and donors:

• develop strategies to compensate teachers in the short and longer term
• expand accelerated learning programmes, which condense the number of years of schooling 
• increase comprehensive programmes that combine functional literacy with market-driven skills training by partnering with the private sector.