Welcoming ‘Serve the City-Freetown’ to the Viva Network

We are delighted that Serve the City, Freetown, is the latest network to join the Viva Network. Sierra Leone, particularly in its capital, Freetown, faces significant challenges related to child abuse, including physical violence, sexual exploitation, neglect, and child labour. Serve the City (STC), which began in 2023 and is registered as a community-based organisation, unites organisations and churches working to help at-risk children. Shed, the STC leader, heard about Viva from a volunteer, and, very early on, there were multiple conversations about how Viva might help the network grow into a strong, healthy unit. It is a great encouragement that Serve the City recently signed a covenant document, thereby officially becoming part of the Viva Network.

How it began

With advice and support from Viva, Serve the Children conducted a situational mapping exercise in July 2024 to identify the issues children were experiencing in Freetown. The findings revealed that children faced multiple threats, including high rates of sexual violence and harassment, with children often exploited as sources of income for their families, engaging in street selling or prostitution to survive. It was also discovered that child marriage was present in a third of all families in Sierra Leone, and teenage pregnancy was at 9%. As part of the situational mapping, various churches and organisations that work with children were identified, with 34 child-centred organisations expressing interest in joining a coalition making up Serve the City, Freetown.

Why join Viva?

Children participating in the World Weekend of Prayer 2026

From the start, Shed was clear on Serve the City’s mission: “What we are currently doing is that we have come together so that we can leverage our own resources and expertise to provide a more effective, low-time response to the needs of children in Sierra Leone.” Earlier this year, Viva Senior Coach Paul asked Shed a very valid question regarding this emerging network joining the Viva Network: “What do you think you'll give to this greater family of networks that exist outside Sierra Leone?” Often, partner networks are drawn to join Viva in the hope of what they can gain, particularly in terms of resources. This question, also framed in our covenant documents for networks, helps remind members that coming together is about giving, not just receiving. Shed’s answer was clear: “We hope to share the gains that we make, and share that with other like-minded organisations or networks outside of Sierra Leone.” There are also, of course, benefits to being part of the Viva Network as well, with Shed noting that joining Viva “will help improve our standard of care and be able to pass that to our members.” Serve the City has already got involved in one Viva programme, with some children participating in the World Weekend of Prayer, which is open to member networks and anyone who would like to participate (photograph above).

A Visit to Freetown

In March 2026, Paul visited Serve the City Freetown to assess the network's progress, strengthen its development, introduce Viva’s partnership model, and determine Serve the City’s readiness to join the Viva global network. During the visit, meetings were held with the Network Coordinator, the coordination team, and the Steering Group to share Viva’s vision, networking model, and strategic priorities, and to review Serve the City’s organisational structure, governance arrangements, and member engagement. The visit found a committed leadership team, but, at the same time, the network was quite staff-reliant with limited member participation. Paul shared insights into the potential benefits of a leaner, member-centred model built around a comprehensive member database and active working groups to encourage collaboration, shared ownership, sustainability, and collective action. Paul notes “Discussions introduced the Viva Networking Model, the 4C’s framework, and programmes such as the World Weekend of Prayer, Good Treatment Campaign and Quality Improvement System (QIS). The proposed organisational model, together with the formation of thematic action groups and stronger member profiling, was well received and recognised as an important step towards improving collaboration and enabling members to contribute more effectively to the network's mission.” Paul also helped them think about governance and how the Steering Group could most effectively provide leadership. Shortly after the visit, Serve the Children officially joined Viva as the latest member network.

Finding Solutions Together

Now that Serve the City has joined Viva, future support could include delivering the Network Training Course, Quality Improvement System training in areas such as child safeguarding, governance, and financial accountability, and continued mentoring to help Serve the Children meet the standards for quality care for children. Shed was invited, along with leaders of member churches, to participate in our recent Cutting Edge conference, which focused on emerging networks. Their post-conference reflection is very encouraging, and makes us glad that Serve the Children has joined Viva, as using our collaborative model will mean a bigger, better and longer-lasting impact on more children in Sierra Leone: “STC Network will work together with its member churches and community-based organisations to provide a pathway that secures the future of children and drastically improves their life prospects. The network will develop sustainable solutions to the problems that children face every day. In response to the cries of children, we call on all communities to rally around solutions that work.”