German Kooperation Sierra Leone (GEKO-SL)

Über uns

GEKO-Sierra Leone is an indigenous Non-Governmental Organisation registered in 2000 with the government of Sierra Leone. It is also a member of the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (SLANGO).

We focus on women, children and youth because of the acknowledged impact that any improvement in their conditions could have on the community and the country as a whole.

Our mission is to cater for the welfare of rural communities in Sierra Leone by initiating development related activities, and creating opportunities that will promote self reliance, and empower underprivileged individuals/groups to play a more active role in community development.

GEKO-Sierra Leone has a mandate to operate all over Sierra Leone but our current focus is in the Northern Province, especially the Districts of Bombali and Port Loko. Our key areas for intervention are Health and Sanitation, Education, Agriculture, Skills Promotion, and Micro Finance.

GEKO-SIERRA LEONE organised several peace building workshops in Gbendembu, Kabala, Kambia and Makeni through which we assisted in the resettlement, reintegration and reconciliation process in these respective localities. We were also very active in the various peace building and reconciliation workshops organised by the Network on Collaborative Peace building in Sierra Leone (NCP-SL) immediately after the war. GEKO-Sierra Leone made a representation annually on the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) hosted in Accra, Ghana. The Organisation was also represented on the Mano River Union Conference for Peace Mediation held in Conakry, Guinea in 2001.

In addition the organization has engaged itself since inception in providing consultancy services to a number of organizations such as Pa Santigie Conteh Farmers Association (PASACOFAAS) and Rofutha Community Development Association (RODA). We have also assisted several NGOs in implementing their project activities.

We intervene in community development through working in partnership and with Community Based Organisations, government line agencies, international organizations, the district councils and other NGOs.

Currently, we support communities in Agriculture (groundnuts, rice, livestock and tools), Education (Scholarships and educational resource centres) Vocational Skills training (Tailoring, Carpentry, Soap making, Food processing and preservation, Human Rights & Gender-Based Violence and Micro Finance (Micro-credit and small business).
In agriculture, we assist women with vegetables and groundnut seeds, tools, and storage facilities. We also offer training in food crop processing and preservation. In education, GEKO-SL has established an education project in which we assist poor and orphaned children with their education needs. We have also launched a vocational skills training centre for tailoring and carpentry. In the area of health GEKO-SL reconstructed the Gbendembu Community Health Centre, furnished it and supplied it with drugs and equipments. We are active in Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) programme implementation in Port Loko District. We also sensitize our communities on HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Gender-Based Violence. We have been supported by both national and international organizations such as GEKO Unna and BMZ in Germany; the British DFID; Sierra Leone NAS/KfW; UNDP, UNICEF, AWDF and numerous donations through Globalgiving in the USA, and the Liz Peloso Inc. in Canada.