The Community Media Network in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiNoRF), in a bid to popularize the concept of the Right to Food (RtF) in Sierra Leone, has taken the concept to students in the northern University of Makeni (UniMak) on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
The public lecture which took place in the multipurpose hall, Fatima Campus attracted students mainly from both the Mass Communication and Development Study Departments aimed at inspiring young talents to grasp the concept of the RtF and shape their minds to think about what they want to do after leaving college.
The Coordinator, CoMNet, Theophilus Sahr S. Gbenda said it behooves them as human rights journalists and civil society actors to take the lead in pushing for one of the basic fundamental human rights recognized by the United Nations.
He said that they are working in close concert with SiLNoRF based in Makeni with a network of 16 member organizations, and that they have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Makeni. The purpose is to introduce the concept, update them as to how far they’ve rolled out the program, and also amplify and popularize the concept, Mr. Gbenda said.
He said if the right to food is to be realized in Sierra Leone, the country must first and foremost be food secured but noted that the government is doing a disservice to its people in that
The RtF Project Manager, SiLNoRF, Abdulai Kamara pointed out that, the World Food Program (WFP), Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) 2020 indicated that out of a population of 7.1 million people 4.1 million are food insecure, with Port Loko happen to be the most insecure with 33%, followed by West Area with 22%, while Tonkolili and Kenema stand at 18% and 17%, respectively. He also said, Action against Hunger 2021 on Malnutrition and Stunted Growth Report, and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) all issued reports that are quite alarming.
Therefore, he said, to ensure that Sierra Leone becomes food secure there should be concerted efforts from the media, academics and CSOs, government to provide the enabling environment for the right to food to thrive.
The Head of Programs (HoP), SiLNoRF, Lansana H. Sowa gave a vivid explanation of how the RtF originated after World War II in 1948. He said the RtF is still a new concept, especially to the people of Sierra Leone, but it is as old as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948.
He said the UDHR has 45 Articles and is divided into two components, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) because the UDHR is not binding on the government.
By Abu Bakarr Munu, Communication Officer, SiLNoRF