Plan's work making schools fit for children

Plan’s work in Sierra Leone covers 5 core areas, all of which are rooted in the rights of the child:

• making schools fit for children
• ensuring mother and child survival
• improving economic capacities
• promoting children’s rights
• increasing access to safe water and sanitation.

Making schools fit for children

This programme provides sufficient classroom space and durable child furniture, with plenty of school books and materials, to ensure child-friendly learning environments.

We also advocate for increasing the budget for educational infrastructure and qualified teachers, and lobby for fair and equal access to facilities.

Ensuring mother and child survival

We facilitate immunisation for both pregnant mothers and children aged under 5 to ensure survival against major diseases that would usually result in childhood death. We also educate young people about stopping the spread of HIV.

Improving economic capacities

This programme involves motivating community institutions to increase their participation in development and control and management of community resources. It also promotes entrepreneurship training and access to financial services for youths and women.

Promoting children’s rights

We advocate for the adoption and implementation of policies supporting children’s rights and child protection. We also encourage children to engage in dialogue with other members of civil society to promote and demand their fundamental rights.

Increasing access to safe water and sanitation

Plan is focusing on increasing access to safe water and sanitation in schools, health institutions and communities. The package includes construction of latrines, water wells, training of water attendants/maintenance groups and information communication education on the proper use and management of water. Using the community-led total sanitation (CLTS) approach, emphasis is placed not only on the number of latrines constructed in the communities but in the total absence of open-air defecation.