The need for Parliament to make itself accessible to citizens is borne out of the fact that there has been a general perception that the institution seems to be remote, inaccessible and far removed from the people it purports to represent. There has been an ever growing need to respond to this viewpoint, so that Parliament is seen visible and accessible to its constituents. By bringing Parliaments into the openness agenda, it will

• Make Parliament accessible to the public and enhance public understanding in parliamentary work;
• Create awareness and increase the visibility of the Parliament of Sierra Leone;
• Enable strategic engagement between the Parliament and its stakeholders: Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations and Academics for potential collaboration.
• Agree on ways of working between Parliament and CSO in supporting the implementation of the Parliamentary Openness Agenda.

This programme is supported through funds from the Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy (CP4D). The programme is focused on promoting disability inclusion in Parliament and Local Councils in Sierra Leone. The project is primarily targeting Parliament to demonstrate leadership in taking concrete steps to raise awareness and integrate disability friendly policy within its operations.

Through this Programme, WFD is collaborating and supporting disability coordination within the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Freetown City Council and the Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues (SLUDI).