During the dark and grim years of the Rebel War in Sierra Leone it is estimated that across the country:

• 1,600 people, including babies and children were brutally killed

• 500 people including children as young as six years old have been maimed

• 300 villages and towns were burned to the ground

• 1,300 hospitals and health centers were burned to the ground

• 960 schools including colleges were looted, vandalized or burned

About 60,000 ex-combatants have been disarmed and demobilized. Over 55,000 ex-combatants are taking part in re-integration programs in Sierra Leone.

Children At CEM School

About CEM -

CEM was established on October 16, 1992, by a group of churches. It is registered with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Economic and Development Planning as an NGO. Their mission is working with ex-combatants to re-establish basic health and education services in collaboration with the relevant government ministries.

CEM is an umbrella organization of churches in Sierra Leone that is dedicated to the proposition that absolute poverty can be substantially reduced through concerted action. CEM works with local churches in order to enhance the spiritual and socio-economic wellbeing of the people of Sierra Leone by contributing to the alleviation of hunger and poverty, controlling disease, fostering education and stimulating development.

CEM works with a variety of Sierra Leone government departments and NGOs:

• United Nations Development Programme - Restoration of schools
• Commonwealth Police Task Force - Training of ex-combatants, police reintegration and conflict resolution programs
• National Demobilization Re-integration Programme - Trauma counseling skills training
• World Health Organization (WHO) - HIV/AIDS education and workshops
• Ministry of Social Welfare - Gender and Children’s Affairs
• Ministry of Education

Read Joe Tucker's story about his life as a child soldier »

The Gara Shirts sold by The Peace Company are made by ex-combatant youth involved in CEM’s re-integration programs. As part of our Peace Gifts for Global Healing program, a portion of profits from your purchase will be returned to CEM to help continue this important work.

Children eating lunch at CEM school

CEM’s Vision for Sustainable Peace and Development

The CEM re-integration model involves the following elements:

1. Social Re-integration
    a. Socio-psychological counseling
    b. Basic adult literacy
    c. Civic education
    d. Capacity building for democracy initiatives

2. Economic Re-integration
    a. Small enterprise promotion and micro-loans
    b. Vocational training and skills development
    c. Community based work programs

3. Target Beneficiaries:
    a. Orphans, vulnerable children and children affected by the war
    b. Women, especially widows and female heads of households
    c. The aged and disabled
    d. Refugees and displaced persons
    e. Ex-combatants
    f. Jobless youth
    g. Families and communities
    h. The police and army

CEM Staff Meeting

Cultural Considerations

All of CEM’s staff are Sierra Leone nationals with first hand knowledge of local conditions and culture. Many come from rural areas and are fluent in many native languages, allowing for direct communication in even the most remote villages. This allows communities to view CEM staff not as outsiders telling them what to do and handing out money, but as partners willing to work with them as they try to improve their conditions and opportunities.

The CEM participatory approach and familiarity with local norms gives the organization flexibility to work with groups of various sizes, experiences and expectations. Project participants have access to all members of CEM. These factors allow for an on-the spot decision making system within CEM.

Current CEM Initiatives

CEM is presently working with 500 destitute children through a local church (Missionary Baptist Church) in Pendembu-Kailahun District. CEM promotes the children’s project on behalf of the Missionary Baptist Church in Pendembu. CEM has in the recent past, raised funds locally to support the 500 orphans and destitute children living with foster parents within the township. CEM conducts feeding programs at intervals, depending on the availability of funds.

A school has been established with an enrollment of 200 destitute children, who receive trauma counseling, informal education, literacy skills and peace education from five paid teachers and ten volunteers. There are 300 destitute children on the waiting list to be enrolled in the program due to lack of accommodation. CEM has acquired ten acres of land for the Missionary Baptist Church to construct a school building so that all the 500 destitute children can be enrolled in the program.

A school building project for the children to continue formal and informal education is underway. After three years of work, the school will begin to receive grants from the Sierra Leone government, and teachers will be paid from the national funds according to criteria set by the government of Sierra Leone. The project has a management committee in Pendembu to oversee management of funds received for the project. Oversight is also provided by the CEM National Committee Board of Trustees.

For More Information

For additional information about the conflict in Sierra Leone please visit the Human Rights Watch website.