| NEEDY AND DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN'S HOME (NEDIC) |
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BACKGROUND One of the most devesting offshoots of the decade-long civil conflict in Sierra Leone is the alarming number of unaccompanied children found all over the country. A considerable number of these children were victims of unimaginable human rights abuse: some witness their parents being murdered in cold blood, others abducted, raped and forced to participate in murderous adventures. The lot who survived the carnage found themselves helpless and hopeless as they had nowhere nor anybody to go back to, parents were no more where used to be home, a heap of rubble. They were abandoned when things went sour for their adversaries and left to scavenge for survival. Following the cessation of hostilities, most of these children attracted humanitarian assistance from Aid Agencies which among other things, tried to identify appropriate bodies/organisations for their effective reintegration into society. Effort these Agencies though enormous, could not reach those orphaned and abandoned children in the remote rural areas of the country. These were languishing with little or no attention from their compatriots as they too were left destitute by the war and are only trying to rebuild their shattered lives. Moyamba District, being one of the �hottest�spot at the war front, is left with a considerable number of these unnoticed victims of the war in many villages. Rev. Deborah Freeman, in sympathy with these unfortunate children took the challenge to cater for the welfare and protection of these children with limited resources. A districtwide assessment was undertaken with a view to identifying such children and discuss with their communities, and workout modalities for remedial intervention. One hundred (100) were identified in various chiefdoms of whom sixty (60) are provided with accommodation at the Needy and Disadvantaged Children's Home Moyamba. Efforts have also been made in creating linkages with relevant institutions / organisation and individuals to garner support for the schooling needs and daily sustenance of these children. The task as Herculean as it is, requires resources so these children could be molded into productive and useful citizens in the future. There is need for adequate accommodation and the enabling environment for training, recreation, academic ventures and skill promotion programmes. These aspiration led to the establishment of the Needy and Disadvantaged Children�s Home (NEDIC) in 2000. |
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| Needy & Disadvantaged Children's Home@2006 |