AASL specializes in accountability systems for Civil Society Organizations. Its particular focus is on NGOs downward accountability. Community participation in service delivery is of critical importance for successful service delivery. It also empowers citizens to play an active role in their life improvement, giving them confidence and skills to shape the quality of community life. Citizen engagement is one of the four key elements of accountability without which service providers cannot call themselves accountable. It is part of good governance underpinning the country’s democratic development. Read

Budget literacy and monitoring training for local councils and CSOs has become another expertise area for AASL due to the many training they too have received and experiences gain over time in organizing and delivering such trainings for local councils and CSOs. The development and governance today is directed towards self community development aided by decentralization. Checking on vaults controllers as to what is to be received and how it is intended to be spent can be a good starting point for decentralization development strides. Unfortunately CSOs and councilors who should do this major task as monitors for the community are not knowledgeable enough to carry out this all important task of checking on the vault controllers. AASL saw this niche need and has position themselves to train community stakeholders especially CSOs and Councilors to be able to monitor vault controllers that receive and expend funds on behalf of the community. Read

AASL has as one of its core functions provision of training to CSOs and smaller NGOS in the area of monitoring and Evaluation and impact assessment of community dev projects. For CSOs and the community people to realize that the implemented project is on course to achieve its objectives and desired impact on the community, it can only be achieved when they are trained to be able to monitor these projects, evaluate them and assess their impact on the community. NGOs are also equipped to know what achievable targets they can set that can bring about a meaningful impact from implementing the project. Read

The AWG is a voluntary alliance of 17 International and National NGOs, umbrella organisations and civil society organisations who joined forces to build a stronger civil society sector in Sierra Leone. It was formed on the recommendation of NGOs at the national consultation on transparency and accountability, organised by Accountability Alert Sierra Leone in November 2011. Read