Mrs. Juliana Konteh is a Sierra Leonean philanthropist. She is into education and her targets are a forgotten segment of our society – women and girls.
Juliana, through her Women in Crisis Vocational Institute which is located in Wellington in the east end of Freetown, has helped reintegrate many women and girls who suffered one way or the other from the eleven years (1991-2002) of civil war in Sierra Leone. In this edition of The Interview, Mabinty M. Kamara sat with Juliana who is also the director of the institute.
She speaks on why she established the institute, how it has helped change lives and she preaches about the need for society to help the underprivileged.
Please read on:
Politico: Please give us a brief background of your institution.
Juliana: Women in Crisis is a faith based nongovernmental, humanitarian organization. It was set up in 1997 to improve on the status of women and girls in extremely difficult socio economic circumstances and abuse through the technical vocational life skills training; promotion of the rights of girls and women; access to reproductive health education to make an informed choice. We support victims of stigmatization, women and young girls, who are considered vulnerable to STDs [Sexually Transmitted Diseases] /HIV/AIDS infections. We try to contribute to society by creating equal access to education and training opportunities.
Which group of women and girls does your organization target?
The organization caters for all classes of women, either literate or illiterate, with special preference for victims of sexual violence and other abuses. Single parent mothers, commercial sex workers, disadvantaged women or adolescents women living with HIV/AIDS, child-headed households, orphans, vulnerable children, women faced with domestic violence, are also catered for.
What are the skills training offered in this institute?
In our life skill and vocational training institute we offer skills like: Gara tie-dying, tailoring, hair dressing and catering as an alternative means of earning a living and also narrowing the socio economic gaps between the targeted groups and their clients. And the protection of their constitutional rights including gender based violence. They are not only trained with skills but they are also taught and inspired to overcome life challenges.
Are the students paying for the services rendered to them?
Initially, our beneficiaries were not paying anything for the services they received because we are funded. But considering the fact that some of them were not taking the work seriously, apparently because they were not paying anything to acquire the skills, recently we have started asking them to pay the sum of Le30, 000 as a sign of commitment to their work. And upon graduation, they are provided with a startup kit. That is, the equipment necessary to work in their course area. This will enable them to start up their careers.
How do you think the organization has impacted women and the society at large?
It has already made a lot of impact on the lives of women and the economic development of the country, as we have had more than 1000 women who have benefitted from the organization from all over the country. We have branches in Kono, Kailahun, Freetown [Goderich, Calaba Town and Kissy dockyard]. And I can assure you that majority of them are now financially independent. If we check in to most of the hotels in the country you can find a good number of our graduates working there. And some have set up their own tailoring shops or are in a joint shop, with the startup kit provided to them and today they are supporting their homes and families which have created a whole lot of impact on the development of the country’s economy. It is no secret that the national resources are not sufficient for everyone in the country, but with such basic skills, you get a lot of self employed women in the country. Some of them are educated to the level of the West African Senior School Certificate, but because their parents can’t afford the resources to support them through university, they prefer to have a skill than to be idling around doing nothing.
It has also transformed the lives of many young girls and women in the country who thought life wasn’t fair to them and, through God, the organization has restored hope into their lives.
What inspired you to get in to such a venture?
It was an inspiration that I got from God almighty. And also for the fact that the women and children who suffered from all sorts of violent activities during the eleven years civil war in the country did not benefit anything at the end of it all. They were left to continue languishing in pain and suffering that the war brought upon the country. Instead, those who committed the greatest atrocities, like the ex-combatants, benefitted from the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program (DDR) and were given supports. That was why I thought it fit to help the women and girls in my own little way. And since then, more than 1000 girls have been empowered within the country through this program.
Are you faced with any challenges?
The challenges are there but with the help of God we have been able to cope with some. Cooperation is one major challenge that we sometimes face. Considering the poverty rate in the country, some will come today and tomorrow they won’t come and when asked they will say they didn’t have transport fare to come for classes. And for some even to have food is a problem. But we don’t relent as that is why we have counseling sessions where we have counselors who counsel them on a daily basis on their various problems.
Where do you get funding from to undertake your activities?
Well, we are getting support from United Nations Populations Fund (NFPA). They have been our main sponsor from 2001 till date. We are empowering their target group through reproductive health service, HIV/AIDs prevention and skills training. But we also have other partners like NAS [National Aids Secretariat and GLOBAL FUND who are helping us in our HIV/AIDS response project on skills training and HIV/AIDS prevention and control. ActionAid is in the promotion of women’s right and gender issues. CHILDREN OF THE NATION is a partner in caring for destitute children, including AIDS related orphans. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs (MSWGCA) is in the promotion of women’s right and gender issues. There are also the Ministry of Education and Salone Adolescent Girls Network.
What is your word of appeal to other women?
My appeal to other women who are in the position to empower their women folks is that if every woman that has the ability to help ,empower one woman or girl, our endless cry about women’s empowerment will be over. I am always filled with joy when I see women and girls that I have helped in good financial standings. It will be a cap on our feather seeing most, if not all, women placed in better places in the society. And you will even be blessed by God for bringing change in our nation. I also asked that we pay special interest to our girls. Let’s be their keepers; it doesn’t matter if she is yours or not. Let’s empower them so that we can have a better breed of women in our society.
(C) Politico 30/06/16
