M E S S E H L E O N E T R U S T
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M E S S E H L E O N E T R U S T Image above : participants and mentors from the Wave Alliance Sierra Leone surf therapy /Aberdeen Beach/Moseray Fadika Trust Foundation supported by Messeh Leone Trust/Waves for Change. Contact Us AYV House, 3 Wesley Street, Tower Hill. Freetown, Sierra Leone. W: messehleone.org E: [email protected] E: [email protected] T: + 232 76712338 Contents .................................................................................................................................... President's Statement 1 .................................................................................................................................... Who We Are 2 .................................................................................................................................... Approach and Strategy 4 .................................................................................................................................... Results and Impacts 5 .................................................................................................................................... Governance and Risk Management 25 .................................................................................................................................... Our plans for the year ahead 37 .................................................................................................................................... Independent Auditor's Report: Financial Statement 41 .................................................................................................................................... I was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in the midst of conflict, I witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The civil war in Sierra Leone had a terrible impact on me. The horrors I witnessed filled me with despair. But despite the shock of the war, I never lost hope. As I grew up, I started on a journey of recovery. At age 14, I entered in to the world of public service. I am determined to make the world a better place Through access to safe spaces, caring and to protect other people from the mentors, and a provision of weekly Surf atrocities I experienced as a child. Therapy sessions, the programme gives young people the skills to cope with stress, The Messeh Leone Trust is the result of regulate behaviour, build healing almost two decades of extensive research relationships, and make positive life choices. and active local and global field work in The Alliance is coordinated by Messeh Leone building peace, fighting extreme poverty, Trust with assistance provided by Waves for supporting health, education, promoting Change, an international award winning Non- human rights and accountability for Profit that has pioneered the use of surfing sustainable development. We believe that as a health intervention. every person deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to take action, These are the real stories of the Messeh and we all do better when we work together. Leone Trust. We hope you find them as powerful as we do – and that they will This annual report tells the stories of our inspire you to keep moving into the future work and some of the people who have with an open hand, a listening ear, a caring inspired us the most over the last year, attitude and a loving heart for humanity. including the musicians and players in Sierra We’re so proud of and thankful for our Leone who are helping to bring divided partners who are at the centre of supporting communities together through music and our work and will be critical in the long-term sport; the asylum seekers and refugees in the efforts. We have always believed in and United Kingdom who are using their relied on the power of partnerships in traumatic stories to raise awareness in the everything we do at the Messeh Leone Trust. hope of providing a more comprehensive and Together with our partners, we have a long informative reflection of their situation; and track record of addressing complex and the young people who are part of the Wave pressing challenges. Thank you for your Alliance in Sierra Leone, which is a coalition belief in and support of the Trust’s mission to of youth-lead and community -based bring people together to build a peaceful, organisations that have successfully healthier, and better world for everyone. introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programmes to beach communities across Freetown, Sierra Leone. The programme provides a child-friendly mental health service to at-risk young people living in unstable communities who are often exposed to social, economic and environmental challenges. President 0 1 | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 WHO WE ARE We’re a humanitarian organisation that empowers young people, women and communities to overcome poverty, conflict and injustice. Founded in 2005, the Messeh Leone Trust (MLT) is a registered non-profit organisation headquartered in Sierra Leone, with networks across the world. MLT gives young people, women and their communities the power to build a healthy, peaceful and better world, and bring communities closer together to take collective action for positive change. MLT is part of the Wave Alliance in Sierra Leone , which is a coalition of youth- lead and community -based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programmes to six beach communities across Freetown, Sierra Leone. The alliance is coordinated by MLT with assistance provided by Waves for Change, an international award winning Non-Profit that has pioneered the use of surfing as a health intervention. Monitoring and Evaluation support is provided by Edinburgh Napier University. 0 2 | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 OUR VISION AND MISSION Our VISION is to see a Healthy, Peaceful and Better World for everyone. We are dedicated to our MISSION of giving young people, women and local communities the power to build a healthy, peaceful and better world. W E W O R K T O S E E K T H E C O M M I T M E N T F R O M A L L P E O P L E A N D N A T I O N S T O E N D O R R E D U C E V I O L E N T W A R S A N D T O A D D R E S S G L O B A L C H A L L E N G E S I N C L U D I N G E X T R E M E P O V E R T Y , C O R R U P T I O N , E N V I R O N M E N T A L D E G R A D A T I O N , A N D G R A V E H U M A N R I G H T S V I O L A T I O N S , I N S U P P O R T O F T H E P R O M I S E O F A G L O B A L P E A C E P A C T . 0 3 | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 Our Strategy The issues identified are complex, interlinked and are not exhaustive of current and emerging threats to the world. The impacts play out differently in different contexts and therefore have varying implications for local, national and international levels of response. MLT maintains that sustainable development can only be achieved in this world through collective action to address global challenges, including extreme poverty, education, health, corruption, environmental degradation, structural violence and grave human rights violations. Our Approach MLT seeks to engage and build an entourage of people, communities and institutions to enter into a pact (agreement), with a commitment to deliver a project as part of their journey and help grow a diverse and durable global movement for collective action. Members who commit to supporting the MLT are identified as: MLT ambassadors. MLT acts as a strategic partner, in helping people and local communities mobilise the ideas, people and resources needed to deliver, and to grow a diverse and durable constituency for collective action. The issues championed by MLT are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, seeking to build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and engage influencers and citizens who seek action. Partnership and the power of smart and strategic collaboration is our DNA. Everyone has a part to play, everyone’s voice should be heard, and everyone has a stake. The mission and vision of MLT are guided by the purposes and principles contained in the United Nations Charter and Noble Peace Prize. 0 4 | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 Results and Impacts Wave Alliance Sierra Leone MLT is part of the Wave Alliance in Sierra Leone , which is a coalition of youth-lead and community -based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programmes to six beach communities across Freetown, Sierra Leone. The alliance is coordinated by MLT with additional technical assistance provided by Waves for Change, an international award winning Non-Profit that has pioneered the use of surfing as a health intervention. Monitoring and Evaluation support is provided by Edinburgh Napier University. The Wave Alliance provides a child-friendly mental health service to at- risk youth living in unstable communities who are often exposed to social, economic and environmental challenges. Through access to safe spaces, caring mentors, and a provision of weekly Surf Therapy sessions, the Alliance gives children skills to cope with stress, regulate behaviour, build healing relationships, and make positive life choice 0 5 | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 Wave Alliance Sierra Leone What have we achieved so far? We supported five local partner organisations in Sierra Leone who have participated in a 2-week workshop with Waves for Change in Cape Town, South Africa from the 28th September – 12th October 2019. They have completed training and vetting process in Cape Town. The workshop was funded by Comic Relief and the Swedish Postcode Lotto through Waves for Change.