Project Duration: One (1) Year
Start/End Date: May 2010 to April 2011 

With the shift towards a ‘knowledge society’, the role of interactive communication technologies (ICTs) such as email and the Internet in sustainable community and economic development is becoming increasingly important. The effective use of ICTs in community development projects has been argued to have many potentially empowering benefits and effects, such as greater inclusion, cooperation, participation and wellbeing.
 
The empowering effects of the use of ICTs for women and other community members have been indicated in several publications. However, some researchers argue that there is a danger in placing too much faith in the emancipator power of the Internet for women. An important factor is that, argues, as power relations are present in all interactions. Feminist research into gender differences in experience shared, suggests that this is likely to be the case whether such interactions are mediated by technology or are face-to-face. The potentially disempowering or unintentionally negative effects of using ICTs in rural community development projects therefore need to be considered.
 
Partnering Organization(s):  AW.I.S.H-International 

A World Institute for a Sustainable Humanity-Sierra Leone
 
Sierra Leone-West Africa
 www.awish.net
+232-33-51-51-83 or +232-88-72-28-63
 
Mr. Alpha Beretay,National Coordinator (AW.I.S.H-Sierra Leone)
alphaberetey@yahoo.com

AW.I.S.H Sierra Leone is a non-political, non- profit making organization and is a local chapter of AW.I.S.H International located on Lopez Island, USA. It was founded by a group of visionary and proactive Sierra Leone indigenes who had survived the turbulence of the eleven-year civil war and its dire socio-economic consequences on their naturally endowed nation. The fallout from those trying times included a disruption of economic and social activities which drastically worsened the misery of most of the rural communities.
 
As indicated by the rural urban poverty indices of 1990 that immediately preceded the civil war 18.61 percent of the population live below the poverty line of $1 per capital per day, and a UNDP Human Development report of 1998 shows that only three out of every ten Sierra Leonean can read and write compared to a sub-Saharan average of 6 out of 10 persons. It is as a result of those grim realities that indicate a degrading human situation, acute reverses in economic and social activities in this West African nation of approximately 4.7 million inhabitants that created a rallying point for these committed persons to help explore avenues of harnessing local human and capital resources, assist in building their capacity to carry out their own socio- economic developmental activities in their rural resettled communities. These Sierra Leonean nationals of diverse backgrounds and disciplines had resolved to participate actively in the post-war development of their country by streamlining targeted livelihood programmes with the participation of its recipient beneficiaries in all stages of project implementation.
 
Project Mission: To build up women from various fields of life by empowering them through Research, capacity building; in Trainings, workshops and developmental technology applications to our everyday living.
 
Project Objective(s): The main objective of this project is to build capacity through training/teaching women on the use of ICTs for their agricultural enhancements as well as provide necessary information and guidelines to adopting ICT infrastructure for better production. Furthermore, the following low level objectives will be carried out in the course of the project:
Organize seminar programmes for sensitization on ICTs in local contents to be able to communicate adequately.
To establish an internet access centre or telecentre in four areas, where women can get access to needed information.
Evaluation strategies will be put in place to access the impact of the trainings and capacity building so far.
Collaboration with computer training institutions, the local council, local and international NGOs and the district council in matters regarding access to ICT programs for women
 
Target group(s): The project will target women, children above the age of 15 years (youths)

Geographical scope(s) of project: The geographical scope of the project is Lower Bambara Chiefdom, Kenema District. This area is mainly known for agricultural development activities small scale mining. For the past four years AW.I.S.H-Sierra Leone have been working with indigenous community women in this area particularly Kamboma community, Korjie Ngieya Section.  
Countries involved :Sierra Leone
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US involvement/contribution within the project: The type of U.S involvement is that, AW.I.S.H-Sierra Leone will partner with its parent body which a tax exempt registered charitable organization in Washington State, U.S.A to provide experts and tutors for effective implementation of the project. 
 
Achievements/progress to date: AW.I.S.H-Sierra Leone is a registered indigenous local voluntary non-political organization that characteristically undertakes charitable developmental activities especially those that seek to enhance the livelihood of deprived and needy person(s) in rural and peri-urban communities. AW.I.S.H-Sierra Leone normally involves such targeted beneficiaries in every stage of implementation of programmes and projects to re-emphasize recipient’s ownership and their total cooperation in ensuring viability. It areas of operation in the Eastern Province, Kenema District has in the past four (4) years engaged large number of youths (both male and female), elderly persons in Burma community to carry out food-for work rice farming activities, HIV and AIDS sensitization prevention and care and support in the Kenema township and recently has completed an inland valley swamp rice and storage project in the Kamboma community with support given by First Peoples Worldwide Fund of Tides Foundation U.S.A
 
Contact person for the project : Mr. Alpha Beretay alphaberetey@yahoo.com