FAME (Freetown Adolescents with Merit and Elation)

This will be a new establishment that will be placed in the capitol of Sierra Leone, known as Freetown. This institution will serve physically impaired orphaned adolescents, who are victims of war crimes. They will have the opportunity to gain access to academically prepared programs that will enhance their handicap accessibilities. The idea of this center is based on the unfortunate 11 year civil war that took place in Sierra Leone from 1990 to 2001. Though the war was due to the greed of diamonds, it resulted in a mass amount of killings and upper- limb amputations, informally known as “short sleeves or long sleeves”. There have been few non-governmental organizations that have provided assistance in the provinces, by building schools and activity centers that have limited space to service individuals who are in need of education and shelter.

The 5,000 people who suffered from amputation of the upper limbs declared this war to be one of the worst in recent history. It has been estimated that 490,000 individuals are handicapped, but according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is believed that the actual figure is more due to the impact of the war. There is no statistical data to identify the number of disabled adolescents. The health’s structure faults were: 3 physiotherapists, 3 orthopedic surgeons, 9 qualified orthoprosthesists, 9 unqualified orthoprosthesists and 1 psychiatrist, which were identified by Handicap International in 2005.

According to the United Nations Human Development Index, out of 5 million inhabitants, one in four child dies before the age of 5. Thousands of children are living in Internally Displaced Persons camps or in poor quality housing, due to their families fleeing the town. Many of the primary schools were destroyed forcing thousands of children to discontinue formal education. The lack of education is complicated by the lack of local or international organization to supply essential services, the non-existences of structurally accessible educational facilities and high poverty rate compelling disabled children to have low school attendance.

Over the next fiscal year of September 2008-August 2009, this center can begin its process and introduced to the public of Sierra Leone in September 2009. Beginning with a school that is well known, American International School of Freetown, FAME, can begin as a partnership program with this school. With the development of training curriculums for teachers in how to work with disabled children, accommodations can be made for these students. Schools will be structurally modified by providing ramps that will make them accessible to disabled students. School fees and additional charges will be discounted for parents struggling in providing for their disabled children. This will provide developed programs that will sustain the living for families of children with disabilities through education.

Goals

The purpose of the FAME Community Center is to accommodate the needs of the underprivileged orphaned adolescents who suffer from physical disabilities. An important source for an adolescent is education because it is the key to employment, health and happiness for disabled children. Without the basic fundamentals, children become victims of violence, rape, early pregnancy and early death. The initiation of FAME in the American International School of Freetown will convince funders to develop more centers throughout Sierra Leone to assist with lack of education.

• To enhance handicap accessible programs for orphaned physically impaired adolescent victims of war crimes in Sierra Leone.
• Raise public awareness of disability issues.
• Increase classroom attendance among the disabled adolescents.
• Involve families lacking the finances and tools to assist their physically impaired children.

Operational Functions

Procurement

The products needed for the community center have to be purchased. There is a maximum need of 7 wheel chairs and 13 pairs of crutches that will be left at the center. Two ramps and two pairs of railings need to be placed in the school. One will be located in the front and in the back. Lastly, one handicap accessible van needs to be purchased, that will be used to transport the children to and from school. There are two options in how the center can receive the material needed. The products that are available in Sierra Leone can be purchased there and the remaining purchased overseas. On the other hand, all of the products can be purchased wholesale and shipped to Freetown. The decision will have to be made with the assistance of the US embassy and a representative from the IRC. Based on available funds, that will be provided from both organization will determine when and where the products will be purchased.

Service

If service is delivered from the center it will have to begin with the successful completion of the trainings among staff. Before the opening of FAME community center, the staff will have to be full trained and tested to ensure that the importance and the validity of the trainings have been taken seriously. The success of any academic setting begins with the administration. It is hoped that before training process begins an arrangement would have been made on the cost and delivery of the needed products for the center to fulfill its mission. After the trainings and the products have been assembled and placed at the center the process of accepting students will begin.

Stock Control and Distribution

The administration staff that is currently in charge of record keeping of stock within the school of American International will be able to maintain the stock of the center. The difference in stock will not be much greater, because the bulk of the stocks that will need to be cared for are the medical equipment. The paper, pens, pencils, crayons, glue, etc. will not exceed the amount that is currently available at the school, due to the small population that will be attending the program, during the trial process.