Musa Ansumana Soko's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

International partnerships and solidarity is increasingly recognized as a necessary condition for peace and development, especially in poor and post-conflict settings like Sierra Leone. This can consolidate peace by creating the conditions that permit people to resolve legitimate grievances based on clear certainty. This training can provide me the necessary tools required for my effectiveness in my work.
For a variety of reasons, knowledge of communities in peace building, consolidation and conflict prevention in respect to international relations is marginally low in Sierra Leone. Knowledge is one
precious opportunity that benefiting from this membership will offer me. I will be exposed to many opportunities, like meeting people with vast knowledge and experience thereby sharing information with them and observing their conducts will be an invaluable learning process for me. Also learning more closely with other colleagues through this programme will increase my ability to learn with and
from others’. Making participatory approaches integral to our work will enable us to analyze
problems together, find solutions and shape common plans.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Musa Ansumana Soko is my name, a young Sierra Leonean. I am an activist, social entrepreneur and a development consultant presently based in Sierra Leone but working in countries within Africa on various advocacy issues ranging from poverty reduction, conflict transformation, aid for development, ICT education for blind and visually impaired young people, HIV/AIDS, human right, environmental protection, and policy reforms/formulations for disadvantaged young people and women.

I am presently working for the Youth Partnership for Peace and development in Sierra
Leone which is a youth-led development organization that is fostering development
alternatives for youths in post-war Sierra Leone and the sustenance of peace.
I have therefore worked for and volunteered for several organizations in my country at both international and national levels. Served as a Research Assistant with the Australian National University through Dr. Augustine Park in researching on the ‘Traditional and Modern forms of Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers’. I was an IT Instructor and teacher at the Educational Centre for the Blind and the Visually Impaired with the use of computers through a screen reading software called JAWS.
Furthermore, I have been and still working with different initiatives, coalition, networks and organizations from around the world in the bid to enhance networking and collaboration on issues of common interest in the youth development arena.
Today, I am the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS National Focal Point for Sierra Leone.
I am presently representing Africa into the Youth Advisory Board of the UNHABITAT
that was established during the fourth session of the World Urban Youth and World Forums in Nanjing, China 2008. Again, I am also serving as a youth focal point to the United Nations Millennium Campaign through the Africa United Nations Development Program office in Nairobi to coordinate the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) campaign in my country. There I have succeeded in establishing a National Youth Taskforce on the MDGs.
In Sierra Leone, I am currently serving as a Youth Commissioner to the Commission
of the Civil Society Alternative Process, which is an umbrella body of CSO working in the areas of development.

Finally, I have been working with bodies like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII) in Accra, Ghana, UNIDO International Conference on Renewable Energy for Africa, the African Union Commission through CIDO, where I have got several engagement among which was the development of the African Union Volunteer Corps Program for Youth in Nairobi. And the Rep to the Children and Youth Taskforce of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
Task Team in Sierra Leone, representing Africa..

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Sierra Leone
Liberia and Guinea

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

Sierra Leone

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

National Coordinator, Youth Partnership for Peace and Development

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://www.yppdatwork.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.fntg.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.tigweb.org

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Development, DDR, Facilitation, Human Rights, Humanitarian Relief, Organizational Development, Social Entreprenuership

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Advocacy, Budgeting, Capacity Building, Evaluation, Information Technology, Monitoring, Program Administration, Program Design, Program Implemenation, Research, Training