Our Operational Framenwork

Opportunuties

The current attention and emphasis given to violence (especially rape) against women and girls at the first Lady level and the strengthening severity of the penalty for rape in the recent amendment of the sexual offences act of 2012 creates a unique opportunity for WAVES to make more long-term plans and, at the same time, intensify its advocacy for women’s access to SRHR and trigger more awareness of this trend to more remote communities within its operational areas.

The rapid increase use of social media through mobile phones and the corresponding spread of network reach and coverage to the most remote communities also provides the opportunity for exploring partnership possibilities with mobile companies and using their huge platforms for positive messaging on women’s right and other related issues. This strategy will greatly enhance the reach of WAVES far and beyond its targeted communities.

Additionally, new donors are expressing interest in WAVES, opening windows for longer-term funding and opportunities for longer-term employment, better staff conditions and capacity building. 

Threats

A number of factors which threaten the success of WAVES work and hinder the extent to which we impact on the communities.  These include a high level of dependency of the communities compounded by the current global pandemic and the community’s own natural vulnerability to disasters – this tends to shift donor interests and trigger adverse government policies/regulations leading to late/none approval of funding.

The negative impact of the continued escalation of COVID 19 on the overall economy of Europe, the USA and the United Kingdom thereby dwindling available funds for support to development work to Africa and Sierra Leone in particular and its attendant consequences.

The growing political tension between the ruling SLPP government and its main opposition the APC could further escalate thereby making the working environment unsafe and therefore a withdrawal of field staff. So is the issue of whether the Councils will be able to foster a good working relationship with the NGOs, communities with respect to project coordination and implementation.

Critical Issues

Among the several critical issues facing WAVES which the organization should strive to address are that WAVES continues to gain ground, fulfill its mission and realize its dream of impacting the lives of women and girls.

WAVES need to ensure that it has a secure, stable funding base which includes WAVES’ own financial resources, to enable short- and long-term planning. Moreover, there is need for WAVES to focus on and prioritize its programs and geographic areas of work for the next five years, if it is to increase its impact and effectiveness.  This includes phasing out of certain communities in Bo-north and scaling up to other communities within the proximity of Bo District where it has all of its current long-term development projects and or Kenema District

If need be, WAVES would work in additional communities in Tikonko and Kenema Districts due to their proximity to Bo District. However, it must be noted that such scaling up must be done cautiously and in proportion to their funding portfolio so as to avoid the danger of spreading too thinly and not deeply with its resultant effect of making too little or no impact.

Another major challenge confronting WAVES is the need to increase organizational capacity and effectiveness at the field level: at the moment, capacity is relatively stronger at the senior level but comparatively weak at the Field levels.  Surmounting this challenge will involve developing and implementing a comprehensive long-term staff capacity building strategy, including Project Management, advocacy, gender, community mobilization and animation. WAVES also needs specifically, to increase its capacity on reporting at outcome level and effectively monitoring qualitative and behavioral change arising from its interventions in violence against women and SRHR outcomes. In addition to the above, it also needs to develop a greater capacity for lesson learning and responding to the changing and varied women and girls’ issues in the targeted communities.