Youth And Child Advocacy Network (YACAN) is a local organization founded by energetic young people and is active in advocacy and empowerment of young people. The organization was established by Sierra Leonean youths and children in May 2005 and the organization was establish with the aim of providing opportunities for young people to participates on advocacy on issues that concerns their development on education, health, livelihood.

Its operation is entirely under the control of the youths themselves, with a Board of Advisers comprising of adult professionals in the bid to promote and invigorate advocacy by young people for young people YACAN’s Mission To robustly promote advocacy, encourage social inclusion, engage the government, the international community and our local communities on key issues surrounding child protection, capacity building issues and strengthen and advancing social development for youth and children at all levels in Sierra Leone through Right Based approach to increase advocacy, strategic engagement for policy reform and behavioural change.

YACAN is an organization that recruits volunteers and this approach has help the organization to support the people of Sierra Leone in three emergencies in the Western Area as we have over 1000 young people in our emergency volunteer data base that has received some training on response in food distribution, early warning engagement and social mobilization. YACAN is a member of the Children Right Coalition in Sierra Leone (CRC-SL) and the Education For all Coalition Sierra Leone(EFA SL), Sierra Leone Adolescent Network and the "U-Report" Platform. YACAN has been an active member to the extent that the organization is currently coordinating the CRC-SL western area rural and urban district chapter.