By Alimatu Jalloh
A Non-governmental organization, the SOS Children’s Villages on March, March 6, 2023, commenced a five-day regional meeting of its West, Central and North Africa Regional Management Team to evaluate the five-year regional strategy of the organization.
The Regional Meeting brings together representatives of the different regions at the Sierra Palm Hotel in Freetown. The meeting will enable them to get firsthand context of the SOS Children’s Villages work in Sierra Leone and how they can support decision making process.
The Country Director of SOS Children’s Villages in Sierra Leone, Sophie Ndong said the meeting will focus on all their operations in the region in a bid to enhance collaboration among key partners.
She added that the meeting is integral because the general SOS Children’s Villages body wanted to re-strategize their operations, and they will be looking for ways to expand their operations through strategy, reformed structures and resources.
The International Director of Regions, Benoit Piot said that they hosted the meeting in Sierra Leone because there are many characteristics that need to be assessed and mechanism re-focused in a bid to improve on their activities.
He added that the SOS Children’s Villages Sierra Leone Chapter has been providing alternative care for women and girls through education and empowerment programmes.
“There are significant improvements with many success stories because of the platform given by the villages. We have seen where women are creating employment for themselves,” Piot said.
The Director of Non – Governmental Affairs at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Eric Massallay, said the villages have been actors in development by complementing the effort of the Government of Sierra Leone in education and other development areas.