LAUNCH: Fifty/Fifty Group Launches 10th Birthday

The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone Launches its 10th Anniversary Celebrations in with the Annual Rajiv Bendre Public Lecture on Women in Public Life to be delivered by Lesley Abdela, MBE, Chief Executive of Shevolution U.K.on Monday 29th November 2010 on the Theme: Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women for Political Participation The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone, the first Non Governmental Organisation in Sierra Leone with a focus on preparing, empowering and energizing women for political participation launches its 10th anniversary celebration.

In November 2000, the British Council invited Lesley Abdela to Sierra Leone to run a campaign and communication skills workshop titled “Increasing women's participation in democratic politics”. The key objective was to enhance and increase Sierra Leonean women's participation in politics. Forty Sierra Leonean activists participated in this workshop and at the end of the event, the participants were so fired up and inspired by their deliberations, that they decided to set up a group to promote women's political participation, similar to the 300 Group in the United Kingdom. Since then, these women have worked tirelessly to set up the 50/50 Group. The group was formally launched at an impressive and symbolic event in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament on the 30 November 2001 by the then Head of State, six months before the 2002 general elections. They staged a Mock State Opening of the First All-Female Parliament. The launch was immediately followed by the staging of a poignant mock parliamentary debate on the need for equal or 50/50 representation of men and women in Parliament in the well of the House.

Over the past 10 years, through its comprehensive capacity building programme, the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone has empowered over 5000 women to participate in politics in Sierra Leone and elsewhere on the continent. They have been extremely successful in creating spaces for women, re-invigorating the African women's movement and amplifying the voices of Sierra Leonean and other women within the African continent and beyond. It is the first African group to win the coveted Madeleine Albright Award, which is given to groups who have excelled in creating spaces for women.

A decade after its launch, the group which continues to work on equality between women and men in politics and public life is recognized as the leading advocacy organization in the area of women's political participation. The Group is currently in the process of building the first Gender and Women's Leadership Training Institute in West Africa.

The 10th Anniversary will be marked by a year of special events—highlights will include: the Annual Rajiv Bendre Annual Public Lecture on Women in Public Life, a Press conference to launch the 10th Anniversary Celebrations; an Evening with 50/50 – Reception in honour of our Mentor – Lesley Abdela at The Bamboo Hut, Guest Speaker: Honourable Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh, Chief Justice of Sierra Leone; Training of Women in Leadership Skills in 5 Localities in the Mountain and Kono Districts; Micheal Shulenburg tree planting competition for schools; Opening of the Building for the 50/50 Gender and Women's Leadership Training Institute; Essay Competition on Why Young Women should Participate in Politics; Seminar on Young Women's Participation in Politics; and Muslim and Christian Thanksgiving Service.

The culmination of the celebrations will be The Pink and Blue Ball and Women of Substance Awards honouring African women working tirelessly to make a difference in their communities to be held on 30th November, 2011.