Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs (MSWGCA) 2014-2018.

This document contains the Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs (MSWGCA), which has a cross-sectoral approach and covers a five-year period (2014- 2018). The strategy is aligned with the Government’s Agenda for Prosperity 2013–2018 and it applies at the national level. It sets out the following vision statement: a Sierra Leone where vulnerable groups and people with disability live a life of dignity, their human rights are fully respected, not discriminated against, and are active agents in their own protection. The overall objective of the strategy is to promote and protect the rights of women, children, the aged, persons with disability, and other vulnerable groups through development and review of policies, advocacy coordination with stakeholders, building capacity and effective monitoring and evaluation in order to enhance equity for all. Section 4 lays down a list of priority critical issues and challenges grouped under four strategic areas: (i) poor coordination and collaboration; (ii) weak human and resource capacity; (iii) ineffective monitoring and evaluation system; (iv) inadequate social protection.
As mentioned, this plan is aligned with the pillars of the Agenda for Prosperity. Pillar 6 establishes that social protection aims to provide a minimum social protection package in education, health, nutrition and shelter for extremely poor and disadvantaged children, women, the aged, the disabled and other vulnerable groups. The eradication of hunger and poverty is therefore among the objectives of the plan.
Section 7 adds a monitoring and evaluation framework to enhance monitoring of the implementation of the plan. These expected outcomes are indicated: coordination and collaboration are effective and efficient; institutional capacity is improved. Appendix 1 describes the functions of competent Directorates; Directorate of Children Affairs; Directorate of Social Welfare; Directorate of Gender Policy and Advocacy; and Directorate of Policy Development and Strategic Planning.