By Mabinty M Kamara
The 50/50 Group Sierra Leone has revamped its Fourah Bay College Chapter which was on the verge of collapsing.
50/50 group is a non political, non-governmental organisation founded in 1997 and it advocates for the empowerment of women through their inclusion in the national governance structures. The organization believes that although peace had returned to the country through great sacrifices of women, the ideal platform where women could exhibit their talents was not available.
The parental body of the FBC chapter in partnership with Rotary Club of Freetown and Calgary organised a two-day leadership training workshop for both male and female members last week at the Africell International Corner to equip them with leadership skills and confident building.
Nemata Majek-Waker, founder and first president of the organisation, said at the start of the workshop that the training was meant to train the members of the FBC Chapter so that they could train other women the skills and confident needed to take up leadership positions. She urged the participants to ensure that they went home with a change perception of gender roles.
Mrs Majek-Waker said that people’s perceptions about women and gender roles can be change through advocacy and training. And so she encouraged the participants to be gender sensitive in wherever they are in and whatever they do.
“A woman’s place is in governance as well as it in the Kitchen ,” she said, adding, with a song: “men and women should work side by side; no longer men in front and the women at the back; but they [should] work side by side.”
Fatu Taqi, current president of the 50/50 Group, in her opening remarks said that the FBC chapter had once been in existence but became dominant as time went by.
“I hope this one will flourish as we hope to extend it to other campuses,” she said.
The training was facilitated by Theriyeh Koroma, a second year student of the Mass Communication Department and a women’s rights activist. As she took the participants through the training exercise, Ms Koroma said that she was aspiring to be the likes of women like Margret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minster, and the current Prime Minister Theresa May. She sought to inspire her female colleagues to be diversified in their gender roles so that they leave no room for inequality. She said she was monitored by senior members of the organisation as she went through her presentations to ensure that the training was done accordingly. At the end of the two days training session, a training manual was giving to each participant to enable them train other people especially women who were the main focus of the workshop.
© Politico 19/07/16
