World Student Community for Sustainable Development

Helping More Young People in Sierra Leone Gain Access to Information Communication Technology

by Morie Alpha

Despite the fact that Information Technology is the hub of our modern world economy, access to it is yet severely strained in Africa. The infrastructure for the development of IT on continent is rudimentary, and the few existing infrastructure are only found in few countries like South Africa, where over half of the continent’s telephone lines can be found. But as the need for IT is becoming inevitable by the day, some institutions and individuals are making frantic efforts to help young people in the continent gain access to information technology.

In Sierra Leone, the local chapter of the International Education And Resource Network (iEARN)- an organization run by young graduates- is helping young people, mainly of school going age, collaborate with other young people from different parts of the world on projects which involve developing peaceful co-existence and peer group education through the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Some of the ways iEARN has made this possible is to train schoolteachers and youth leaders in the use of ICT. These schoolteachers and youth leaders in turn pass-on their acquired knowledge to pupils and youths in their respective schools and communities, with the supervision of iEARN. Through this non-formal method, iEARN has been able to train over 85 students in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, in the use of computers, computer accessories, Internet, cameras and camcorders. This training has helped the students participate in the iEARN-International Inter-School Communication Net work. This Inter-School Communication Net work started with a few schools in the United States, today, it has grown steadily to be one of the worldâ€^TMs largest schools communication network. The issues discussed during the Inter-School Communication Network are: human rights, child soldiers, conflict resolution, democracy, environmental, sustainable development, globalization, education, global security, and health- with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS pandemic. Through this schools network experience, young people of Sierra Leone have been able to interact other young people across cultural and geographical barriers.

The major success of the Inter-School Communication Network is the Child Soldiers Project, initiated by some of the beneficiaries of the iEARN ICT training. It involved former child combatants and other war-affected youths who participated in the Sierra Leone civil war -which lasted between 1991 and 2001. These young people made use of on-line resources to participate in web based forums; where they shared their first-hand their experiences as conscripted child fighters and slaves, with young people from other parts of the world. This on-line experience sharing sessions played a major role in healing most of these war-affected children from their traumatic pasts.

The Child Soldiers Project led iEARN- Sierra Leone to win the Cable and Wireless Childnet Award hosted by the UK based childrenâ€^TMs charity, Childnet International. The award recognizes the effort of children and young people who are using the internet positively, to communicate some global issues. iEARN- Sierra Leone was part of several international organizations, schools, communities and individuals who competed for the child net awards in April 2003. It won the second prize for their Peace Reconciliation and Child Soldiers project.

In November of 2003, iEARN- Sierra Leone won the Brement Peace Award of the Threshold Foundation for exemplary Commitments for justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation; for helping young people use the internet and other new technologies to implement joint projects. Despite the successes of the projects initiated by iEARN- Sierra Leone, it has limited resources in, terms of computers and computer accessories,to continue to provide young people access to ICT. In that regard some organizations and institutions have provided help. “In December of 2002, Tony Roberts, Executive Director of Computer Aid International, was moved to help. Computer Aid international, a UK based charity donated ten recycled computers to iEARN- Sierra Leone. iEARN- Sierra Leone was also able to get technical support from Bill Belsey of iEARN Canada. Dr. Eric Hopkings, President of War Child Canada and Vanessa Currie, also facilitated the sponsorship of setting up the Computer Centre. Express Link-up have made promises to further help iEARN sierra Leone with used computers to build on what other well-meaning organizations have done.” The Sierra Leone Association of Non Governmental Organizations and several other iEARN chapters. Currently the organization is housed in a Government apartment provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Government of Sierra Leone.

The activities of iEARN-Sierra Leone are not just limited to Sierra Leone. Prior to the UN World Summit on Information Society held in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2003. iEARN- Sierra Leone collaborated with Taking IT Global Sierra Leone to organize a three-day Interactive Forum Workshop, where youths from over 70 organizations nationwide were able to brainstorm on the challenges of using ICT in developing countries, with specific emphasis on Sierra Leone. The resolutions of the youths were presented during the recent World Summit on Information Society in Geneva.

In addition, iEARN Sierra Leone recently became a member of the planning committee the New Initiative, an initiative organized by United Nations of Youths (UNOY), which helps to distribute second-hand computers, donated by charitable organizations, to needy schools, communities and youth organizations.

The enthusiasm of organizations like iEARN Sierra Leone is an indication that the young people of the African continent can bridge the IT gap between Africa and the developed world if given access to better IT education and equipments.