After Ebola, over 60 % of youth are now unemployed in Sierra Leone. Many are currently at risk to violence and crime perpetuated by organised cliques/gangs in fragile cities in Sierra Leone. Change needs to happen within local communities or "Hot Spots areas". This project will train community youth leaders to effectively design and organise Dialogue Forums aimed at understanding the root causes, the recruitment patterns and priority needs of youth associated with cliques/gang in Sierra Leone.
A mapping and assessment study recently conducted in Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Freetown, suggests that there is an increased trend in the transmission of a culture of violence and crime in fragile cities in Sierra Leone. Murder, rape, killing and assassinations are regular incidences now. This is worrisome as political campaigns will soon start ahead of the Presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in March 2018. Youth engagement in productive means need to be urgently supported.
This project will help to reduce human security threat from violence and crime perpetuated by organised cliques and gangs. It will increase level of education and public awareness amongst vulnerable youth and students through community dialogue forums about the risk of joining cliques and gangs. It will help identify skills and needs of vulnerable youth for future support into transformative lives.
- Number of youth and students engaged in organised cliques and gangs reduced. - Level of employment and job creation opportunities for vulnerable youth identified and secured. - Level of crime and violence reduced by 30 % in local communities, including number murder, killings, rape, armed robbery and assassinations.
