Vocational training for ex-fighters

Vocational training courses are being set up for ex-combatants in Sierra Leone as part of their reintegration into the local community, the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR) said in a 2 March information bulletin. “An ex-combatant is always a potential combatant”, Francis Kaikai, executive secretary of the NCDDR, said. “They need skills more than cash, in order to sustain their livelihoods by themselves.” Several institutions have come up with proposals on ways to include former fighters in their vocational training courses, according to the committee. Ebun Thomas, acting director of the REAPS (Rapid Engagement in the Acquisition of Practical Skills) vocational training centre, said that rather than segregating ex-combatants, they should be treated like any other trainees and integrated in small numbers onto existing courses with other students. The REAPS centre, run by the Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone, train students to become carpenters, metal workers, tailors, and secretaries. Another institution interested in training ex-combatants is the Government Technical Institute (GTI), which offers courses to some 2,000 students in trades such as carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing, car mechanics, and metal work, the NCDDR said. As many of the ex-combatants do not qualify for admission to the courses, the GTI and NCDDR are drafting a special three-year practical skills training course for them. To take in a large number of former fighters, the GTI will run its regular courses in the mornings, while those for ex-combatants will be held in the afternoons. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (NCRRR) is working with the civilian population to overcome problems created by the war. It helps communities to rebuild their villages, restore the economy and come to terms with the psychological effects of the war, the NCDDR reported.