Child Fund Sierra Leone (CFSL) a local NGO operating in the country is to implement a symbolic reparations program in Kenema district. Speaking to the press in Kenema city the coordinator of Child Fund Sierra Leone Dr. David Oyinga John says they are in Kenema to implement part of the reparations program as stated in the TRC recommendations.
Dr. John disclosed that his organization is not new, disclosing that it has only been re-branded from Christian Children Fund (CCF) to Child Fund Sierra Leone (CFSL) in order to address the problem of misconception among the populace. He says in the past many people have perceived CCF as an organization that only caters for the welfare of Christian children alone.
The coordinator further says even though the organization has re-branded yet it’s aims and objectives still remain the same, which is to seek the welfare of children nationwide.
He says their current engagement is aimed at avoiding the re-occurrence of the recent past which according to him brought about the payment of reparation toward victims.
Child Fund Sierra Leone reparation project officer for Kenema district Linton Tucker says the program is targeting the entire country and therefore asked for the contribution of Sierra Leoneans especially those living in Kenema district to cooperate in the implementation of the symbolic reparation project.
Tucker disclosed that Child Fund Sierra Leone is only implementing the symbolic reparation program in Kenema district for which funding he says is determined by the committee that is now working for the actualization of the program slated for the 2nd and 3rd October this year.
In his contribution the civil society representative Madieu Barrie says part of the program is to visit mass graves, cleanse the forests and perform some major traditional ceremonies aimed at consoling all those who died and did not get a befitting burial ceremony during the war.
Mr. Barrie was quick to deny that the program will help to rekindle old wounds left behind by the brutal civil war that was fought in this country for eleven years. He noted that the program will help concretize and maintain the hard won peace in the nation.
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