ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the diamond-mining trap that pushed Sierra Leonean youth to join rebel groups during the civil war and examines post-conflict efforts to improve national governance of the mining sector. The chapter also examines specific projects undertaken to improve the lives and livelihoods of the country's youth population. The Diamond Area Community Development Fund was designed to redress the inequities of the government's distribution of resources from mining. By working directly with women and youth, The Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS) sought to provide alternative livelihood pathways and offer viable and sustainable job opportunities in mining communities. Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is implementing a program in thirty-two communities in Kono District to help youth from ages fifteen to twenty-five begin farming on community land. With the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Vision Sierra Leone and Management Services International implemented the Youth Reintegration Training and Education for Peace (YRTEP) program in 2000 and 2001.
