GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

1 EXPECTED RESULT OF THE PROJECT AND HOW EXPECTED RESULT WAS ACHIEVED:  

Ensured fairness, measures are often needed for indigenous women and girls for their empowerment and social inclusion, with due respect to their cultures, ways of life, and customary laws. By implementing appropriate strategies (Lobbying, Advocacy and Educational support)

1.2 BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION INCLUDING RESULT ACHIEVED

Gender balance at decision-making level: In August 9th-12th 2021, Four (4) days session with fifteen (15) community stakeholders including 300 young girls and women from seven (7) villages in Dodo section, Tikonko chiefdom in Bo district, and one (1) district council members to discussion and enhance gender balance at decision-making level in their communities. Women should also have the right to be given positions like Town chiefs, Section chiefs, paramount chiefs at 90% level. let women be given chances to stands for the various leaderships and be part of decision-making in their communities. The session took place at Bo town Community Centre Hall and the program was very successful and brought changes in their communities. since that engagement there were gradual steps taking into account of 145 women and more took leadership position within two (2) years in their various communities.

Women empowerment opportunities through educational care: In September 1st 2021 to July, 2022 (One academic year), the organization group in the United State in collaboration Members here in Sierra Leone, identify 25 girls who were dropout from school in the result of been pregnant and poverty or been a woman in their believed systems that girls should not continue in school. Support was given in the form of School fees, Uniforms and Learning materials including cash to return to school, and today those girls are doing very well and 12 of the girls have acquired and qualified to university while other are also continuing to senior school examination next year. 

The project will still continue if founding is available for another phase comes 2024 until, we met our targets (1000).

1.3 PRIMARY ISSUES (PROBLEM) PROJECT ADDRESS

Indigenous women and girls in that remote communities of Dodo section (7 villages) and be young experience multiple forms of discrimination, often lack access to education, and ancestral lands, face disproportionately high rates of poverty, and are subjected to violence, such as domestic violence and sexual abuse including in the contexts of trafficking. Indigenous people believed that if the couple gave birth to their children all be girls yet they will still want to give birth to boys and empowered them to be successful while the girls left to be vulnerable and forced into early marriages at the age of 14 years. As a result, they will be subject to domestic violence, sexual abuse, and poverty. Some women will be forced into polygamy while others were misused and left for prostitution in society. They believed that their young girls and women will not inherit their ancestral land, but their families would force them to inherit their husband’s properties.

1.4 EXPLANATION OF THE PROJECT: THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT AND THE EXPECTED LONG TIME RESULTS

• The goal of the project is to enhance 1000 or more indigenous girls and women empowerment to be educated and participation to national, political, economic, social and cultural development; and to benefit from the results.

• Enjoy a high social position and their status is not low in comparison to their male counterparts. Ancestral land/Property will be owned by both men, girls and women in their communities.

• Ensured fairness, measures are often needed to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women, girls and men from otherwise operating as equals.

• The application of this gender perspective can improve the distressing situation of indigenous women and girls caused by multiple oppression: as indigenous persons, as women, as girls and as members of the poorer classes of society.

• Necessarily, adaptations of appropriate strategies for their empowerment and social inclusion, with due respect to their cultures, ways of life, traditions and customary laws, emphasizing the protection and full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms as women, girls and members of an indigenous community.