ComSIL Launches Peace Voices Project to Counter Misinformation in Western Rural Area
Osman Tolo Sesay Community Solidarity to Improve Lives Sierra Leone (ComSIL) has launched a 12-month peacebuilding project in Waterloo aimed at strengthening responsible information sharing and community dialogue in the Western Area Rural District.
ComSIL introduced the Peace Voices Project on September 26 at the Waterloo District Council Hall under the theme, “Amplifying Youth for Peace, Trust and Responsible Information Sharing.”
The initiative forms part of the European Union-co-funded INSPIRE program and will focus on young people, women and vulnerable groups, according to ComSIL. The organisation said the project will address misinformation and disinformation while supporting peaceful engagement at the community level.
Dunville Greene of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion urged communities to view young people as partners in peacebuilding rather than threats.
Greene identified motorcycle riders, community youths and men involved in social groups, including attire-based gatherings, as potential Peace Ambassadors who can help circulate factual and constructive information.
He also pledged the Commission’s continued collaboration with ComSIL in promoting quality factual information before declaring the Peace Voices Project officially launched.
The ceremony brought together representatives of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, AID-Sierra Leone, the 50/50 Group Sierra Leone, local council authorities, civil society organisations and community representatives.
ComSIL’s safeguarding representative, Adama Timbo, said the project includes measures intended to protect women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups from violence and harm.
Chairperson Marie Bangura, in her opening remarks, commended ComSIL for its work on youth participation, child protection and women’s rights at national and community levels.
ComSIL Team Lead Abu Bakarr Barrie outlined the project’s thematic areas and linked the initiative to the broader “Inclusive Networks Supporting Peaceful Information and Responsible Engagement” (INSPIRE) framework.
According to ComSIL, the Peace Voices Project will operate for one year in localised grassroots communities, particularly in the Western Area Rural District, using awareness campaigns, community dialogue and media outreach.
Barrie said the project will recruit and develop Peace Ambassadors to serve as community-based advocates for peacebuilding and responsible engagement. The initiative is expected to reach approximately 5,000 community members through its planned interventions.
ComSIL previously announced that it had signed a sub-grant agreement with the Agency for Integrated Development Sierra Leone to implement Peace Voices under the EU-co-funded INSPIRE Project. The organisation said the 12-month project would work with young people in the Western Area Rural District to strengthen information integrity, counter misinformation and disinformation, and promote inclusive peace dialogue.
The wider INSPIRE program was launched in Sierra Leone in July 2026 as a 30-month initiative implemented by Action for Advocacy and Development Sierra Leone in partnership with AID-Sierra Leone. It is designed to support youth participation, peacebuilding and responsible information sharing nationwide.
Representing the Western Rural Council, DPO Mohamed Foday commended ComSIL and AID-Sierra Leone for implementing the initiative, emphasizing the importance of strengthening peacebuilding mechanisms at the grassroots level.
Community representatives from Tombo, Grassfield and other communities in the Waterloo area ended the event by committing to support peacebuilding efforts and responsible information sharing.