By Foday Moriba Conteh
As part of achieving one of their thematic areas which is Economic and Social Empowerment For Women in the country, the Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation (LEWAF)has on Saturday 5th November 2022 organized their Annual Women Fun Fair Athletics sport Meet at the Brima Attouga Mini Stadium in the East End of Freetown.
The event attracted thousands of women across Freetown seeking to promote unity and national cohesion among the beneficiaries whom 90% are women.
In his address, the National Program Officer of Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation, Lamin Aaron Kamara, intimated that LEWAF is an independent, non-political, non-sectarian and not for profit making national non-governmental organization established over 8 years ago, adding that the Foundation, over the years, has been supporting Petty Traders and vulnerable women within Freetown and other parts of the country.
He maintained that the Foundation has a mission to create opportunities for Women and Girls to recover from the immediate trauma of violence and transform their lives by empowering them to advocate for their rights and be able to safely enjoy those rights with equal economic, social and decision making opportunities in their households and communities.
Lamin Aaron Kamara added that the Annual Women Fun Fair Athletics sport Meet is one of their projects tagged Economic and Social Empowerment For Women in which the organization every year brings together their beneficiaries, adding that most of their beneficiaries undergo domestic violence and most times suffer stress but such an event will help to relieve them of their problems.
He expressed appreciation to their beneficiaries gracing the Annual Women Fun Fair Athletics sport Meet adding that the event has created an opportunity for them to interact with colleague beneficiaries especially because most of them are too connected with their businesses and they don’t spare time for social interaction.
The National Program Officer revealed that the Foundation seeks the collaboration and partnership of potential sponsors to give the event it deserving glamour as their over two thousand women beneficiaries desire to continue such an atmosphere in a more colorful fashion and to give more women the opportunity.
On her part, an Intern from Canada at Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation, Patricia Sesay, said that after hectic business activities by their beneficiaries every year they organize such activities in order to bring them together and interact with their colleague beneficiaries across the country.
She said that the Foundation has a vision to see Women and Girls live in every community in Sierra Leone free from all forms of violence and in-equality; and are valued, dignified and respected in their households and communities where they live adding that through the intervention of the Foundation they have been able to gradually achieve their vision.
Patricia Sesay revealed that the Foundation has been working with women in Freetown both Western Rural and Urban district and in other parts of the country providing community based legal services such as legal education, ADR, Mediation, etc. stating that currently the Foundation has over 5,000 beneficiaries that the Foundation is supporting.
Commenting on behalf of the beneficiaries, Aminata Bangura commended the Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation for the support the Foundation has been giving to Petty Traders and vulnerable women in the country.
She said that through LEWAF she was able to secure a land and also brought her children close to her as a single parent, adding that through their support she has been able to further her eldest child’s education.
“This Annual Women Fun Fair Athletics sport Meet enables us as women to interact with ourselves and relieve our stresses because some of us are engaged in our business activities on a daily basis without sparing time for social events,” she disclosed.
