The Western Area Rural District Students’ Union (WARDSU) has graduated 30 girls and young women after completing a month-long livelihood and skills-development programme designed to promote economic independence and reduce vulnerability to gender-based violence.
The graduation ceremony was held on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at the Western Area Rural District Council in Waterloo.
Supported by Purposeful through the MOVE Grant, the free programme equipped participants with practical skills in gara tie-dyeing, liquid and bar soap production, bead-making, bag and slipper production and other income-generating activities.
The initiative sought to help beneficiaries establish small businesses, earn sustainable income and improve their financial independence. It also supported the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations, providing participants with a collective platform to save money, access capital and invest in their enterprises.
Speaking during the ceremony, WARDSU President Memunatu Tity Sannoh assured the graduates that the union would provide start-up support to help them establish and expand their businesses.
“If we have people who have learnt skills, they will empower other people,” she said.
Sannoh congratulated the beneficiaries on completing the training and disclosed that they had established functional savings groups with leadership structures to ensure accountability and sustainability.
Executive Director of Cooperative Women for Progress and Development, Emmanuel Kailie Ellie, commended WARDSU for equipping the women with practical livelihood skills, describing the initiative as an important contribution to economic empowerment.
“WARDSU has empowered you with jobs, businesses and economic transformation. This is what we call development,” he stated.
Ellie urged the graduates to apply their knowledge, improve their livelihoods and transfer their skills to other women and girls in their communities.
Executive Director of Advocacy for Women and Youth Empowerment, Ibrahim Marvel Kamara, said skills development could address economic vulnerabilities that sometimes expose women to domestic violence and other forms of abuse.
“When you learn a skill, you become a better version of yourself,” he said, encouraging the graduates to remain focused and continue developing their abilities.
Aminata Sesay, Founder of the Tombo Young Female Activist Movement and one of the gara tie-dyeing facilitators, praised the participants for their commitment and progress.
“They started without any understanding, but today, I am proud to say that all the items you are seeing were made by them,” she said.
Former WARDSU President Eric Scientist Koroma encouraged the graduates to pay attention to branding and use social media and other digital platforms to market their products.
“If you want to be exceptional among others, focus on your brand,” Koroma advised.
Creative Director of Mariam’s Cake Academy, Mariama Bah, similarly urged the women to advance beyond the basic skills acquired during the programme.
“Do not just learn; upgrade yourself as a woman,” she said, while appealing to stakeholders and well-wishers to provide continued support to the beneficiaries.
Delivering the keynote address, former Western Area Rural District Councillor Ajibu Sawaneh described practical skills as essential to household stability and national development.
“As a woman with a skill, you can assist the home. Poverty is a sickness,” he stated.
Several graduates shared testimonies about the programme. Blessing Fudia Sesay said she had always wanted to learn a practical skill but lacked the necessary resources. She explained that she could now produce different types of soap.
Haja Sallamatu Kamara, a survivor of gender-based violence, said the training had enabled her to produce various bead designs. Kadiatu Gibril Kamara also disclosed that she entered the programme without any practical skills but graduated with knowledge of both gara tie-dyeing and bead-making.
WARDSU encouraged the graduates to use their skills effectively, promote their products and support one another through savings, entrepreneurship and peer engagement.
