Save the Children Staff Retreat 2020

“Our big goal for 2020 is quality.  I really want us to focus on quality. Quality! Quality! Quality!”  Heather Campbell, Country Director.

Staff of Save the Children Sierra Leone over the weekend (30, 31 January and 1 February 2020) had our annual staff retreat; a platform for staff to interact, elect the staff welfare executives, reflect and plan ahead. 

This year’s theme for the retreat was 'Wok for Pikin - Planning together to make it better'. A commitment to improve on the gains made for children in 2019.

Heather Campbell, Country Director, in her statement said: “2020 is a year of quality and a year of getting it right from the start. So, I really want us to think about what that means. We need to get it right from the beginning. We need to plan because we owe it to children. Our big goal for 2020 is quality.  I really want us to focus on quality.”

Key Actions from sections to make 2020 a year of Quality programming

·  Programme Operations: will strengthen supply chain for efficient, transparent and compliant services through Source to Pay which will be launched in September.

·  Programme Development and Quality: commits to conducting more field visits, more staff engagement and trainings to improve programme quality and impact.

·Advocacy and Communication: will dedicate this year to more child participation and engagement and having young people at the centre of all programme activities.

·Awards: will simplify work and get things right from the start, do more field-based awards review and encourage staff to witness and contribute to every programme kick off.

·Human Resource: will be looking at staff terms and conditions of service which includes a final review of the staff hand book, fostering a culture of pride and performance as well as promoting talents from within the organization.

·Finance: will move some financial systems from manual to automated and improve partnership with all sections to make finance a high performing department.

Staff Welfare Association: This has been revitalized. For the staff welfare elections, the retreat ushered in a new staff welfare executive led by Moses Foray Kamara, President.

Retreat was a success: The staff retreat was a great success. It brought the country office together and prepared staff for a year of results for children across all sections and programmes, through better planning.

^{Staff on group work session}       

^{Staff exercise through track and field events}