One of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that came to assist the people of Sierra Leone before the peace negotiation in the Country, OXFAM will officially fold up operations across the country effective January 2022.

This was disclosed to the people of Falaba District in a program that marked the end of OXFAM operations in that part of the country as the OXFAM team were moving from one district to the other informing their beneficiaries and local partners about the unfortunate situation.

OXFAM Education Coordinator Philip Theophilus Kamara, expressed appreciation to the beneficiaries for their support throughout the years towards the operations of OXFAM that started operations in Sierra Leone in 1998 with more focus on health and sanitation at the community level to ensure a healthy society.

The furthered their operations on livelihood by bringing men and women together as a way of improving their lives by working together at the community level before extending their project to education which is the bed rock of any nations development and later agriculture which they extended to Koinadugu district.

On the area of education they constructed schools that were equipped with solar electrification in Falaba district that are currently improving, adding that in Krubola they also provided water bore holes for schools that are extremely deprived.

According to him, they were also working with local partners that were operating a project known as Youth Education active Citizenship, under the education project, to ensure level playing field for the youth to speak freely on project relating to youth, adding the youth were also encouraged to advocate on their colleagues behalf.

The OXFAM representative disclosed their presence was felt in fourteen of the sixteen districts across the country through their various projects with the most recent project ending this December 2021, He maintained that OXFAM is now closing its operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other countries across the globe.

“OXFAM is closing as a result of the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting our donor partners that are donating to OXFAM. Most of businesses and Agencies that were donating from Europe are badly affected,” he said, assuring that OXFAM is going but their registration with the Government will remain as dormant.

He maintained that if the need arise in case of emergency OXFAM is more than ready to render support to the people and country as good friends, stating that OXFAM will not forget it beneficiaries as they have decided to hand over the beneficiaries to their local partners at the community level that will be ready to assist the people.

This, he said, is not the end toward development in the various communities as other NGOs will come to assist them but he however, encouraged the people to work as a team with their knowledge gained over the years to empower themselves which was why they were constantly training them on various areas.

Recognizing the various contributions of stakeholders in their community of operations, the Management and Staff of OXFAM presented certificate of appreciations that will serve as remembrance symbols in their absence.

In response the beneficiaries in shock appreciated OXFAM for their support over the years, praying for the immediate end of COVID-19 for the donor partners to start securing funds.