When permission was received from the Earth Charter International Secretariat to establish an Earth Charter Youth Group in Sierra Leone, several documents relating to the EC Initiative were downloaded, members studied them well and then shared the information with some prominent youth leaders of various organisations. For several weeks, the ECYG-SL Coordinator engaged in lots of sensitisation efforts among youth groups/organizations.

Several meetings with leaders of various youth groups/organizations were held and  a committee of 20 was set up, comprising representatives from different umbrella youth organizations, including the Independent Youth Forum (IYF), which has over 100 registered youth organisations, Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA), working with over 200 registered youth organisations country-wide, National Multipurpose Cooperative Society (NYMCOS), which also has membership of over 100 Community Based Youth Organisations (CBOs), Youth Empowerment for Development Ministries (YEDEM), etc. etc.

In another development, members of the first ECYG-SL that is based in Freetown received an invitation to participate in a weeklong workshop that was organized by the Centre for the Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA) in Sierra Leone's second largest city, which is Bo Town, Bo District. The organizers, CCYA, which is also housing the Earth Charter Youth Group in Sierra Leone (ECYG-SL), requested that we introduce the Earth Charter Initiative to an expected 350 participants at the workshop.

We honoured the invitation and wow, ... the result was great!! We were able to introduce the Earth Charter Initiative to the more than 300 participants who attended the meetings. People were so excited to know/learn about the Earth Charter Initiative. Participants even requested that we establish a committee that will be responsible for ECYG's work in that part of the Country. We wasted no time in responding to their request. Two groups of twenty youth leaders/workers were set up!! It was amazing because, by the time we got there, we only had in mind to introduce the Earth Charter Initiative to the participants, share some printed materials and return to Freetown. 

In Freetown, a second group of 20 has been created in the East-end of Freetown where we have the largest population in the city. The creation of that second group will enable young people from that part of the city to work together in not only incorporating the principles of the Earth Charter, but to practice them.

To be brief, The Earth Charter Initiative is been regarded by Sierra Leoneans as an initiative that has been formed to inform and advocate for people about issues that are impediments to the growth and development of people and their communities. Therefore the Earth Charter Initiative helps to create awareness about these issues and call for all to join hands and find a way forward.

Moreover, it is an initiative that works to protect and safeguard the dignity of people and their environment and at the same time serving as a reminder to key global actors to live up to expectations and commitment in a bid to restore hope.

In my view, I believe that the Earth Charter has a lot to offer to all especially for young people facing poverty and deprivation in this country. I am very optimistic that with the appropriate supports/resources, people who will embark on projects relating to the principles of the Earth Charter will be able to effect positive changes that will enhance sustainable peace and development in Sierra Leone.