By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The international girl rights campaign NGO, Plan International has committed to supporting the ‘Hands off Our Girls’ campaign. The Country Director of Plan Int’l, Evariste Sindayigaya, said they will support the program because it is in line with their own program - Girls Get Equal.
Sindayigaya made the commitment on Friday whiles donating office equipment to the Fatima and Maada Bio Foundation. The foundation is the ‘implementing wing’ of the Office of the First Lady, Fatima Jabbie Bio.
‘Hands off Our Girls’ is the flagship program of the First Lady. It aims at protecting girls under 18 against sexual abuse. This involves discouraging child marriage, child prostitution, teenage pregnancy, rape and a host of other circumstances surrounding the lives of young women.
“Our ‘Girls Get Equal’ campaign matches very well with the First Lady’s ‘Hands off our girls’ campaign,” said Mr Sindayigaya.
He added: “We will continue to work with the foundation, supporting the effort of the government to make sure gender transformative programs and initiatives become a reality in this country; and to make sure that our girls and our daughters are protected. We are committed to helping you succeed. We are looking for a day when we can say our girls are protected.”
Some of the materials donated to the foundation include swivel chairs, computers, reception desk and many more.
The Fatima and Maada Bio Foundation is the first non-governmental body to be supported through Plan’s equipment donation initiative in the last one month.
The donation comes at a time when the Foundation is setting up its office to roll out the First Lady’s program proper. Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Paul Massaquoi said this support couldn’t have come at a better time.
“This support is immense. We embrace what Plan Int’l has done,” he said, adding: “Obviously we are going to set our office with the equipment that we have received from them.”
Massaquoi said the foundation is open to collaborate with other organizations. He said they are already working with other groups that have the same agenda - which is supporting girls.
“We are addressing teenage pregnancy, we are working with organizations like Rainbow Center. We are working with organizations like Victory Teens and working with Aberdeen Women Center.
“What we are doing here is to look at the aftermath of the victim’s [experience], incorporating them into the system (society). The First Lady’s foundation also advocates for policy reforms and policy implementation,” he said.
Plan Int’l is also working with government bodies like the National Civil Registration Authority, Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, all of which benefitted from similar donations from the NGO about two weeks ago.
The organization’s support to these government and non-governmental bodies is not a standalone gesture. They are hoping that these collaborations will help build the capacity of these organizations and help their work in advocating for girls rights and the advancement of young people in Sierra Leone.
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