By Mustapha Sesay
The Centre for Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA), in partnership with Search for Common Ground, have launched a US sponsored project in Foredugu Portloko District in northern Sierra Leone for 180 women as the targeted beneficiary.
The project title: ‘Expanding the Table: Empowering Women to Identify Protection Strategies in Sierra Leone’s Industrializing Rural Districts’, would cover some part of three districts of Port Loko, Bombali in the north, and Pujehun in the south of the country. These three districts are deemed by the project implementers to have suffered the impact of land grabbing by multi-national companies. And women are targeted because they are considered to be among the most affected by the large scale land acquisition because of their heavy dependence on lands for their livelihoods.
NgoloKatta, Executive Director of CCYA, said the project was a conscious effort jointly undertaken by the two organizations to support women’s empowerment in order for the women to be properly placed to demand for their rights. He said the project would last for two years and it would provide increased economic opportunities for women thereby giving them knowledge of important leadership and economic life skills, and it would be supported by live radio program to create wide multitier reaching effect.
“In Sierra Leone districts of Port Loko, Pujehun and Bombali, large scale land acquisition has displaced many women from their traditional and agricultural sources of livelihoods. The migration which has come with growing land acquisition is continuing to erode traditional social protection mechanisms, these challenges risked setting back the progress made by Sierra Leone women pressing for peace after the civil war,” Mr. Katta said at the unveiling ceremony held in Foredugu, a small town in Lunsar in the Port Loko district.
“Even in post war situations women and girls are still suffering with far-reaching effects including negative gender norm, ineffective justice and accountability systems.”
This, MrKatta added, “leave women particularly vulnerable to rape, domestic abuse and other forms marginalization.”
Katta said that while women’s empowerment had been a strong point of emphasis by the government, contribution from donors and international organizations had not effectively reached rural communities. Thus, he said, CCYA and Search for Common Ground would support these 180 women to stand for themselves and be able to influence their peers.
Joseph Jimmy Sankaituah, Country Director of Search for Common Ground, an organization also known as the Talking Drum Studio, said they titled the project “Expanding the Table” because they believed that it was high time women sat together with men on the table and discussed community issues and concerns and also chat the way forward for development in their communities. He noted that the fund they had received from the US States Department would be used to setup the micro credit project and that they would identify the women based on their needs which constituted their micro credit project and how they wanted it implemented.
Sankaituah urged the government and political leaders to support the targeted women to succeed; he said they believed if the project was implemented with support of the authorities in the three districts, there would be great gains in women’s empowerment and economic development that would serve as source of motivation for other women in the community.
“We are going to give the training and skills to survive the economic situation and at the end, we hope to see these women serving as role models in society,” Mr. Sankaituah said, and pointed out that the presence of the US ambassador would serve as a source of motivation in supporting the project.
Ibrahim Santigie Bangura, Deputy Chairman of Port Loko District Council, commended the two organizations for their support in empowering women. He pointed out that the area of empowering women in the aspect of economic development was a laudable venture that was highly appreciated by the community people.
US ambassador, John Hoover, congratulated the people of Port-Loko and Bombali for defeating Ebola and promised US’ continued commitment to helping build a prosperous Sierra Leone for everyone. Ambassador Hoover reiterated that the project focused on women and women’s empowerment. He said the project was concerned about women because women the world over suffered all forms of injustice, thus he said helping them was the smartest thing to do.
“When you empower women, they reinvest in their children, reinvest in their family, reinvest in their communities everyone…benefits,” ambassador Hoover said, adding that men should not be afraid to empower women because it was the right and smartest thing to do.
Paramount chief of BuyaRomende Chiefdom, Chief Bai Banta Kennedy II, stated in his welcome address that his people are poor and vulnerable and government’s support to his community was hard to come by. He however acknowledged the assistance that they had been receiving from non-governmental organizations as timely.
One of the beneficiaries, Famata Sowa from Pujehun District, said prior to the establishment of Socfin in Sahn Malen chiefdom, she was involved in agriculture. But, she noted, since the multi-national company acquired their land they had found it difficult to access land in order to do their usual farming activities. She said with the help of CCYA and Talking Drum Studio she had been able to do business and take care of her family.
Zainasb Kamara, another beneficiary from Bombali District, said the project had added value to their life and wipe away their tears after Ebola.
“During Ebola, we lost our businesses because we were restricted from doing business,” she narrated.
(C) Politico 02/03/16
