In January and February 2010, “City of Rest” carried out a Capacity Self Assessment with the aim to evaluate the current status of the project and to prepare for the development of a comprehensive plan for the coming years.

There can be different reasons to undertake an organisational assessment. For City of Rest the main reasons were:

-the organisation is at a key stage in its growth and development, especially considering the proposed move to a different location (Grafton) and the expansion of its capacity (40 to 70 beds).

-in response to the increasing problem of substance abuse in Sierra Leone, as the only rehabilitation centre, City of Rest will have to clarify its future direction and priorities

-potential donors often require evaluation and/or planning documents.

Everyone at City of Rest was invited to participate in the self-assessment meetings: the Board and General Director, Staff, Volunteers and the Guests.

The results were presented on the first day of a three-day meeting in Gloucester, in the hills just outside Freetown. The rest of the three days was filled with discussion and planning. (External) facilitators guided Board members, staff and guest representatives through different topics such as: Mission & Values, Financial Systems, Fundraising & Sustainability, External Linkages, Programme Development, Governance, Organisational Structure and Human Resources.

Devotional times were led by Pastor Matthew Lansana, and were spent seeking God’s face and studying His Word on topics such as Vision, Planning and Unity.

All participants agreed that it was a time of immense value for the ministry. In the coming months we will be carefully working out our Action Plan, with the aim to come up wit a Strategic Plan for the years to come.