SIERRA LEONE: Global Rescue Mission in Sierra Leone Promotes Local Governance

The sensitization workshop took place at the Kenema District Youth center along Reservation road in Kenema city. The workshop attracted 100 participants from various youth and women groups drawn from five chiefdoms including, Nongowa, Kandu Leppiama, Dama, Lower Bambara, Simbaru and Small Bo.

In his brief background, the Director of GRMSL, Mohamed Jaward says the organization was established in November 2006 with the aim of empowering young people, women and children to live a better life. He says the purpose of the workshop is to train and capacitate women and young people in their various operational areas to constructively participate in all political processes; adding the entire process is being funded by the British High Commission. He stated that at the end of the workshop participants are expected to constructively participate in the political decision making process in the country.

A councilor at the Kenema City Council Yatta Sama, who served as one of the resource persons/facilitators remarked that gone are the days when women are considered as property and the place of origin is the kitchen, she called on her colleagues to always work side by side with their counterpart male. She noted that women were made from the side ribs of males, and therefore, the male should not leave them behind in decision making. She calls on all females to always give respect and encourage their male counterparts at all times thereby ensuring development for their communities.

At the end of the workshop one of the beneficiaries a pupil of the Holy Rosary Secondary school (HRSS) in Kenema city Hannah Jajua thanked GRM for empowering her as she now have vast knowledge in handling issues of national interest, adding she has learnt a lot about how women should participate in politics, and gender equality a topic she said was very interesting to her. She promised to remain grateful to GRM and that she will extend the knowledge acquired from the workshop not only to her colleagues in school, but to her family and community members as well.

Another participant from Potential Desperate Society (PDS) James William in his contribution says, critical thinking is relevant to political decision making. He also promised to ensure that his colleague youths who were not fortunate to attend the workshop benefit through him by sharing his knowledge gained at the workshop. He said topics like sources of political information and information bias, citizen right, Human rights, political right and universal declaration on human rights are some of the topics that were very interesting during the workshop. He appealed to GRM to continue the training and to be extend to other parts of the district and other districts in the country for to enhance nation wide benefit.