Children representing every district in Sierra Leone on Thursday 10th November, 2016, engaged members of Parliament at Tower Hill on child friendly budgeting.

These children had been trained by the National Commission for Children (NCC) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) with support from UNICEF and Save the Children to identify and advocate for the prioritization and more budgetary allocation for specific children’s issues. These issues have already been presented to the various councils in all the districts.

According to the Commissioner of the National Commission for Children Mrs. Olayinka Laggah, the purpose of the visit is for the children to brief the Honorable Members of Parliament on their involvement and participation in the budget process bringing to their attention the issues they want to be prioritized by the various MDAs dealing with children and to also witness the budget hearing in the Well of Parliament on Friday 12th November, 2016.

Mrs. Laggah said the NCC and partners embarked on the Child friendly budgeting exercise to be able to track expenditure patterns on children’s issues with a view to promoting transparency and efficient utilization of national resources, to influence local and national priorities and expenditure patterns so that issues that affect children are not overlooked and to enhance child participation in local and national budgeting processes which has never happened in Sierra Leone.
She gave a rundown of the various activities of the child friendly budgeting process which included the development of a Training Manual, training of trainers who then cascaded the training to the children, undertaking a historical budgetary Analysis on government expenditure on children from 2013 – 2015, the children’s engagement with their district councils and advocacy at national level where the children also participated in the budget discussions of the Ministries of Education Science and Technology (MEST) and Health and Sanitation respectively and the Teaching Service Commission in October 2016.

The children presented the various issues that they want to be prioritized in the 2017 budget which included issues of health, education, social welfare, child protection, disability etc.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Social Services who also chaired the meeting Hon. Hassan A. Sesay expressed thanks to the NCC for the children’s involvement in the budget process which he described as novel as it has never happened in the country. He encouraged all to take the children’s concerns very seriously as they are the future leaders of the country.

Responding to the children’s concerns Paramount Chief Joseph Alie Kavorah Kongomoh 11 of Moyamba district representing Paramount chiefs in Parliament and member of the Social Services Committee said if children had been fully involved in budgeting issues in the 1940’s when he was still in school, the world would have been a better place. He commended the GOSL and the NCC for such a laudable venture as the latter has made tremendous impacts in children’s lives in its short time of existence. He appealed to all actors responsible for addressing children’s issues to treat them with all the seriousness they deserve.

Hon. Kerefala Conteh of Constituency 98 pledged his full commitment and support to addressing the children’s issues no matter how minimal and also appealed to all members of Parliament to do same. ‘We will start looking at all legal documents affecting children. We need to take children’s issues seriously” he commented.
Hon. Conteh emphasized that the best way to help is to ensure that what is appropriated for children be utilized for their intended purposes.

Hon. Pateh Bah of Constituency 92 said it is incumbent on all Parliamentarians to help develop the children and for parents to equally take up their responsibilities as the children spend more time at home than in school.
He encouraged NCC Commissioner Mrs. Olayinka Laggah to continue the good work despite the numerous challenges and also admonished the children to take their studies seriously, to avoid negative press pressure and be focused.

Thomas K J Swarray a pupil from Port-Loko district thanked the Honourable members of Parliament for giving them the opportunity to voice their concerns as that will enable them get the services they need to enhance their protection, development and be provided with opportunities that will enable them develop to their fullest potential.