Sierra Leone recently emerged from a war (1991-2002) which destroyed most of the country’s social, economic and physical infrastructure and caused unprecedented population displacement. Simultaneously, the country hosted large numbers of Liberian refugees, most of whom have now repatriated.
Since 2002, significant progress has been achieved in the resettlement of displaced populations, reconstruction of war-affected communities, and rehabilitation of productive household and community assets. It has moved from last to second last on the Human Development Index.
Despite remarkable progress, a significant proportion of the population remain poor, vulnerable to food insecurity and suffering from high rates of malnutrition.
This project focuses on the southern and eastern provinces which were the last regions to be resettled after the end of the war. The PRRO will support populations in six districts in the areas which were the areas most affected by the war, which hosted refugees, and/or were the last areas to be resettled and enter into recovery phase.
WFP’s assistance will accelerate the recovery of productive assets, enhance household food security and reduce malnutrition.
Rehabilitation of livelihoods is the core of the project, and as livelihoods in these areas recover, WFP support will be phased out; 48 percent of project resources will be allocated to food-for-work and food-for-training activities; these activities support WFP Strategic Objective 2 (protecting livelihoods in crisis situations) and Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 (to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) and MDG 7 (to ensure environmental sustainability).
Emergency school feeding, with 20 percent of the project’s resources, will provide support to families involved in these recovery activities, and will be provided in areas which have been negatively impacted by the refugee presence, and areas in which former refugees are being integrated; this activity supports WFP Strategic Objective 4 (supporting access to education and reducing gender disparity) and MDG 2 (to achieve universal primary education).
20 percent of the resources will be dedicated to nutrition programmes in response to very high rates of malnutrition; these activities support WFP Strategic Objective 3 (support the nutrition and health status of children, mothers, and other vulnerable people) and MDG 4 (to reduce child mortality) and MDG 5 (to improve maternal health). 12 percent of resources will be directed to HIV/AIDS-affected families and other vulnerable groups; this activity supports WFP Strategic Objective 3 (support the nutrition and health status of children, mothers, and other vulnerable people) and MDG 6 (to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases).
The project will also contribute to the WFP’s Strategic Objective 5 (capacity building of national institutions) to ensure a more efficient and effective response in combating hunger and food insecurity. The project is well supported by needs assessments and aligned with Government priorities.
Over the course of the PRRO, WFP will also work with national and local authorities and with other partners to support increased government and community ownership of activities as required. The timeliness of phasing out or handover will be examined during the project’s mid-term review.
