2008 Press Releases

U.S. Embassy Grants over Le 200 million to Communities

 

Freetown

November 19, 2008
Contact: PAO Danna Van Brandt
Tel: 022-515-000 or 076-515-000

 

The United States is strongly committed to the development of Sierra Leone by empowering communities with the resources to improve their own living conditions.  The Ambassador’s Special Self Help Fund responds to requests for assistance to local community organizations that have a clearly identified need, but lack the resources to address it.  On November 18, Ambassador June Carter Perry signed grants for eight communities committed to improving their economic or social conditions through education, agriculture, health, or sanitation projects.

The Ambassador’s Self Help Fund reaffirms America's concern for progress in African communities.  It promotes development at the local, grassroots level, which is one of the most effective ways.  For that reason, the Self Help Fund requires communities to contribute to every project, taking ownership by committing labor and other locally available resources.  The eight projects funded on November 18 were diverse, including schools, farms, water facilities, and income-generating activities.  They vary geographically, from nearby Western Area localities to the far reaches of Eastern Sierra Leone.

The Self Help Fund is granting over Le 200 million in 2008, and we will work with communities to ensure they maximize the positive impacts of the grants.  The grants signed on November 18 were:

·         Construction of a Primary School in Nyeama Village
·         Construction of a Junior Secondary School in Benguema
·         Enhancement of a women’s farming cooperative in Koinadugu District
·         Development of a Drinking Water Sanitation Plant in Kasengetha Village
·         Enlargement of a primary school and teacher training facility in Kenema
·         Development of a soap making program with the Tonkolili District Disabled   Association in Magburaka
·         Establishment of a bee keeping program in Bo and Moyamba Districts
·         Construction of an agricultural processing complex near Mile 91

For more information on the Special Self Help Fund and the application process, please contact Mohamed Turay at 022-515-000 or 076-515-000.