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Dr. Keri Bassett: State Department Trip to Sierra Leone
Over the past year, Dr. Keri Bassett has provided consultation services to the United States Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) as a Program Evaluation Specialist through E-9 Corporation’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) contract. In this role, she completed an external, on-site program evaluation of a J/TIP funded project that provides comprehensive aftercare services for child trafficking victims in Sierra Leone. This project is the only trafficking victim assistance program in the country, and it provides vital services to help highly traumatized children recover before being reintegrated back into Sierra Leone society.
In preparation for completing this evaluation, Dr. Bassett conducted an extensive literature review and developed a detailed evaluation plan. In June, she spent 14 days in Sierra Leone in order to conduct the site visit. While she was in the country, Dr. Bassett interviewed the project’s staff members, visited implementing partners (including the national police headquarters and the Ministry of Social Welfare), conducted direct observations of their clinical services, and reviewed case files. She also had the privilege of meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone in order to discuss the evaluation process. When she returned home, she submitted an extensive report of my findings to J/TIP, including recommendations that they can use to inform the future design and implementation of J/TIP funded anti-trafficking projects.
Working in a tropical developing country in West Africa was definitely challenging, especially since electricity is very unreliable in Sierra Leone. Also, the country is still implementing precautionary measures from its recent Ebola epidemic, even though it was declared Ebola free several months before Dr. Basset's recent visit. Thus, she had to wash her hands and have her temperature taken several times a day, including before boarding the flight home (since no one with a fever is allowed to leave the country). However, any temporary discomfort experienced was a minor sacrifice considering the potential benefits that could come from Dr. Bassett's work to help child trafficking victims in Sierra Leone.