In Sierra Leone werkt Mind to Change met lokale vrijwilligers. Ex-kindsoldaten die zelf steeds blijven uitvinden hoe ze nu het beste geholpen kunnen worden. In ons magazine heb je het al kunnen lezen: een standaard methode ontwikkelen werkt namelijk niet. Hun levens veranderen met de tijd. En ook de samenleving ontwikkelt zich. En Sierra Leone is een naoorlogse samenleving, die met een noodvaart van de ene in de andere ontwikkeling terecht komt. Vandaag gaat het goed, morgen ligt de economie ineens onderuit. Daarom zou een methode die ooit goed werkte, een paar maanden later ineens een averechts effect kunnen hebben. Daarom houden ze de vinger goed aan de pols.

De Sierra Leonese economie verkeert in zwaar weer. Daarnaastzijn er behoorlijk wat politieke ontwikkelingen. Hoe langer het land in vrede leeft, hoe meer behoefte er is aan goed bestuur. De wederopbouw van het land gaat moeizaam. En dat is niet zo gek. Bijna 70% van de bevolking kan niet lezen en schrijven. Een hele kleine minderheid is hoogopgeleid. En dus is de hele bevolking van dit selecte clubje afhankelijk. In de praktijk blijkt, dat nu juist dat corruptie in de hand werkt. In het land der blinden is eenoog koning. Wie geen verstand heeft van politiek en de dure woorden in de kranten niet kan lezen of weet te interpreteren, staat machteloos aan de zijlijn.

De bevolking is jong. Heel jong. Ongeveer 60% is jonger dan 35 jaar. En doordat veel scholen door de oorlog de deuren moesten sluiten, is een heel groot gedeelte van hen analfabeet. Met name ex-kindsoldaten vallen in deze kansloze categorie. Ze hebben geen verstand van politiek, weten niets van de geschiedenis, en hebben ook eigenlijk geen enkele manier om zich op een vreedzame manier uit te laten over hun ongenoegens. Of mee te praten, en mee te denken over oplossingen. Laat staan deel uitmaken van het besluitvormingsproces. Het gevolg is dat velen van hen zich toch geen echt onderdeel van de samenleving voelen. Ze hebben het gevoel dat alles langs hen heengaat. Er wordt óver ze beslist, en niemand die zich interesseert voor hun mening. Daarom willen de vrijwilligers in Sierra Leone meer gaan inzetten op algemene kennis. Waarbij speciale aandacht moet worden besteed aan leiderschapskwaliteiten.

Veldwerker Lansana legt in onderstaand artikel uit (in het Engels), waar het probleem precies ligt:

Sierra Leone lacks responsible youths
Door: Lansana Juana

In our work with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, we are constantly confronted with societal issues affecting their lives. The individual ex-soldiers we are trying to help, are not isolated from their societies. On the contrary. They belong to society and it is one of our main goals to help them to become responsible citizens, who contribute to the rebuilding of the country’s economy, their own communities and social infrastructure. In order for us to be able to help them adequately, we invest a lot of time and effort in research. What do former child soldiers need? What does society need? And how do the two needs relate to each other? How can we help both society and individual ex-soldiers?

In Sierra Leone, most (if not all) former child soldiers fall in the youth category. We found out that, although they form a specific group with some specific needs, their problems do not differ much from that of other (so-called ‘normal’) youths in society after all.

Sierra Leone as a nation is confronted with the tedious work of having to rebuild society, infrastructure and the lives of its citizens after an 11-year civil war, which left the country devastated and destructed. One of the most damaging outcomes of the war was the interruption or termination of education of young people. Considering the low literacy rate amongst the population, this has added to the challenge Sierra Leone is facing to rebuild its structures and to establish a solid foundation for governance and bureaucracy.

One of the obvious results of the civil war was a breakdown in community, political, social, economic and cultural structures. One of the most urgent problems facing young people affected by the war conditions in Sierra Leone, is the lack of civic awareness and democratic political education. Consequently, young people are blocked from decision-making, since they lack the knowledge to participate responsibly and to effectively contribute to the improvement of the social, economic, political and cultural structures in their communities.

The second problem for our war affected youths, is their low level of education. The war denied the youths the opportunity to grow into educated and literate people. Most of them don’t know how to read and write, so they have little possibilities to express their opinions about issues affecting their welfare in a serene and civil manner. The nation is now going through a very serious political, economic and cultural crisis brought about by the reckless political attitudes tailored by lack of the requisite political and civil education.

The present national development strategies should therefore take account of political, cultural diversities, traditional knowledge to enhance the people’s participation and accelerate the peace among youths in the country when it comes to their participation in politics and developmental activities in an informed and responsible manner.

The definition of literacy in this context refers to the improvement of the ability to read, write, count, understand and discuss with critical awareness that will enable an informed participation in the process of governance.

Democracy and multi-party rule cannot be sustained without the full and informed participation of the people especially the youths. Informed participation is contingent on knowledge and awareness of the dynamics of governance, the processes of electing a government and issues on which elections are contested.

Democracy is not only about electing governments. For democracy to be sustained, the true culture of democracy and body politics should be rooted into the minds of the youths; inculcated into the attitude and behavioural patterns of the youth who for the most part are involved in the perpetration of civic disruptions and upheavals. And unfortunately, former child soldiers are more vulnerable to end up in a weak societal position than other youths. It is necessary to teach them about their rights, their duties and their responsibilities. To bring them ‘on board’, Mind to Change hopes to invest in a youth leadership project.