45 Students Graduate from JTI Capital School of Business &Behavioral Excellence

September 12, 2022

By Abubakarr Harding

The JTI Capital School of Business and Behavioral Excellence for Skill Development Training held its Certification Programme on the 10^TH September, 2022 at the YMCA Hall on Wesley Street in Freetown, for students who went through a three month intensive training course.

In the welcome address, Denis Idriss, expressed gratitude to the guests and the graduating students for gracing the occasion adding that it will be a momentous day in their lives as they have completed what they started further admonishing them to put into practice what they have learnt.

Brima Bah, one of the tutors of the JIT Capital School of Business and Behavioral Excellence for Skill Development Training intimated that the educational institution is a private entity set up to offer various business and training skills programmes.

He revealed how it is the first training program done so far by the entity encompassing hair dressing, cosmetics, hospitality, massaging etc. adding that the skills they have acquired can be used in different institutions to blend their technical ideas together with the personal development aspect adding that the business ideas they have acquire will help them to establish their own businesses.

The Tutor furthered that in the case where they have to work for others, they were also trained on character management, critical thinking, self development and the skills that should enable them to become much better than just knowing the traditional skills.

He said 200 ambitious young people opted for the programme but after short listing, the number was dropped to 100 adding that because the training was intensive the number reduced to 50 students but stated that 48 students would be certified because they completed the training program. He stated that the programme was free and supported by the JIT Capital Group adding that the training program will continue and encourage young people to get onboard as such will help them to develop.

Madam Ramatu Kondeh, one of the graduates, trained as a massage therapist, expressed her gratitude to the Management of JTI Capital School of Business and Behavioral Excellence for Skill Development Training for offering her the opportunity to acquire a useful skill.

She explained that she dropped out from school but can now boast of having learnt something beneficial and went on to call on other young girls not to sit idly by but rather to acquire vocational skills to better themselves.

Caritas Freetown Supports 2000 Flood Victims with Assorted Relief Items

September 12, 2022

By Foday Moriba Conteh

As part of their compassionate support to the victims of the August 2022 flood victims in the country, Caritas Freetown, with support from Manos Unidas, has on Saturday supported 2000 flood victims from the Culvert, Susan’s Bay and Looking Town Communities respectively. The symbolic ceremony was held at James International Company on Racecourse Road in the East End of Freetown for victims of the Culvert Community while the same donation was held at the Susan’s Bay and Looking Town Communities respectively.

Speaking to this medium, the Program Manager, Caritas Freetown, Idriss Gibson Mansaray, said that the August 2022 flood affected 18 slum communities across the country, adding that although 18 communities were affected but they are only providing these relief support to three communities which include Culvert, Susan’s Bay and Looking Town Communities respectively with a total of 2000 beneficiaries.

He added that prior to the distribution of the assorted relief items to the 2000 flood victims within the three communities, Caritas Freetown through the support they received from their donors have been providing breakfast meal for the victims which he said they are now climaxing with the distribution of the relief items.

The Program Manager intimated that as a responsible organization that seeks the welfare of all regardless of tribe, race, ethnicity, religion they saw it befitting to support the victims out of the strong conviction that such could be helpful after the flood destroyed properties and left thousands deprived within these communities.

He revealed that the assorted items include blankets, used clothing for both male, female and children.

Idriss Gibson Mansaray maintained that the victims were devastated due to the unfortunate incident that befell them as the flood left them vulnerable as they lost all their properties including beddings, cooking utensils, clothing, and other valuable household properties but said with this support it will help alleviate their plight .

On his part, the Regional Coordinator Western Region at the National Disaster Management Agency, Gerald King, applauded Caritas Freetown for their swift intervention to these victims.

He maintained that the Agency immediately after the flooding conducted an assessment during which they realized that the incident created a negative impact on the affected communities, adding that as always when such incidents occur the Agency liaise with their partner organizations which includes Caritas Freetown in order to respond to the affected communities.

Gerald King continued that in answering to this call from the Agency, Caritas Freetown is supporting 2000 victims from three communities which include Culvert, Susan’s Bay and Looking Town communities.

He informed the gathering that the Agency is working on its mitigating plan, adding that currently the Agency has established a Risk Reduction and Preparedness Department in order to mitigate such incidents, furthering that the Agency is also working on intensifying the flood mitigation activities in the country.

Gerald King concluded by stating that they are rolling out their awareness campaign in communities in order to educate residents on flood mitigation mechanisms.

Isha Samba, one of the beneficiaries, commended Caritas Freetown for donating the relief items which she said are very important in terms of cushioning the negative impacts of the flood on them as victims.

She disclosed that during the flood they lost everything as they are currently challenged in securing basic necessities especially beddings, cooking utensils, clothing etc., furthering that with the donation received such will greatly help in supporting them and their families.

Caritas Freetown Supports 2000 Flood Victims with Assorted Relief Items

Environmental Protection Should Be Everyone’s Priority

September 9, 2022

By Ranger

The planet is home to a diverse group of plants and animals that live on land, in the water, and up in the air yet we all manage to live harmoniously most of the time. Unfortunately, the beauty of nature is slowly fading as human activities continue to wreak havoc on the environment. Pollution is at an all-time high and numerous species already went extinct because of irresponsible hunting and poaching. You can’t even recognize the world we live in now from the world where our forefathers lived in. Forests are receding as cities keep on expanding. If we don’t stop now, the future generations may miss out on many of the things we take for granted now.

Over the years, environmental conservation efforts have doubled because activists see the extent of the damage to our planet. And you don’t need to be reminded of it every day in the news because you can see and experience it for yourself. Weather systems and phenomena have changed and countless lives and properties suffer from the wrath of Mother Nature each year. Reducing your carbon footprint is one of the ways we can contribute to protecting the environment even in your own little ways.

Additional environmental projects being run by the mine include conservation farming as local farmers are learning the benefit of farming methods which preserve the soil’s fertility and improve crop production.
“Conservation farming is one of the livelihoods that we are encouraging people in Kalumbila to adopt and practice for obvious reasons. We want to protect our environment,” Trident Foundation Agriculture Field Supervisor, Christopher Chenga said.
Out of the different methods of agriculture, they believe conservation farming takes care of the environment as once a field is opened up, a farmer continues using that piece of land throughout their lifetime and for generations after.
He said by staying in one place, a farmer avoids cutting more trees and opening up more fields.

Certain industries like lead mining have a profound effect on the environment. It’s what happened to a Zambian town, which was dubbed as the world’s most toxic town in terms of pollution just this previous month. Mine waste disposal is one of the major concerns for obvious reasons aside from that of water and air pollution. We all know how big of a threat global warming and climate change is and you are not safe wherever you are in the world. However, things are starting to change for the better for them and it’s all because they decided to do what’s right after all.

The Government has taken a slew of measures to deal with climate change and curb environmental pollution. In line with the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, India too set its sustainability goals and solemnly pledged for a safer environment. However, action at the grassroots level has been slow with delays in implementation and economic prosperity taking precedence.

In light of the absolute urgency to preserve the deteriorating environment and resources, what should Sierra Leone do?

While the Government has established concerted measures to conserve both water and energy, little action has been taken so far, even as Sierra Leone continues to witness recurring droughts, extreme temperatures and rising pollution.

At present, Sierra Leone is sustaining an estimated number of 8 million people living without access to clean drinking water. One of the primary reasons for this paucity is uncontrolled abstraction of water for industrial and agricultural use. It is therefore imperative to focus on promoting recycling and reuse of water and waste water treatment as part of the national agenda to create value.

Many nations all over the world are experiencing rapid urbanization. Technology is a big part of our lives, which is not always environment-friendly. It’s the main reason why climate change has arrived quite early than expected because the planet is changing at a rate never seen before in the past. The population has also exploded exponentially. Several billions of people compete for the world’s natural resources that are sadly finite. The time will come that we’ll run out of non-renewable energy sources and live in an inhospitable planet that makes daily living doubly more challenging.

Most progressive countries use fossil fuel because they are convenient to use but there are other renewable sources we can also tap that won’t harm the environment. Not only are they safe to use, they are sustainable too. The environment should not always suffer for the sake of economic prosperity but one sector can’t do it alone. Environmental protection requires the collaborative effort of both the public and private sector as the damage is already extensive and we need all the help we can get to turn things around for the better.

UN Resident Coordinator & Team Hold Security Related Discussions with the IGP

September 9, 2022

By Abubakarr Harding

The United Nations Resident Coordinator to Sierra Leone, Babatunde Ahonsi and team held a meeting with the Inspector General of Police on the 6th September 2022, at the Police Headquarters on George Street in Freetown.

Babatunde Ahonsi congratulated the IGP on his appointment and extended condolence, on behalf of the UN Family, to the Police for the loss of six (6) Police personnel as a result of the August 10 violent protests.

He extensively and exhaustively dilated on the Sustainable Development Goals, the August 10 incident, the arrested suspects access to their legal teams and relatives, capacity building for the Police to respond to situations of law breaking, communication in Policing activities, coordination with other donor partners and for the SLP to operate from the understanding that effective policing is compatible to human rights standards.

He further maintained that the UN has invested a lot in terms of security reforms equally referencing about the high level interactions that is presently ongoing between UNDP, UNICEF and the SLP.

According to him, the August 10 incident provided a lesson learned for improving on the work of the Police.

He also spoke about people in detention that has not be given legal presentation, civilian corpses yet to be released to their relatives and concerns about who to release and not.

The Resident Coordinator commended the Police for their critical role they play in society, the provision of security and safety for UN staff including high level personnel of the United Nations.

He entreated the IGP and the Police family to maintain a harmonious collaborative relationship between the Police and the UN so that a strategy can be mapped out on how to forestall a situation that will not arise in future were in children get involved in violent demonstrations and end up being in detention rather than focusing on education.

He thanked the Police, Government and the People of Sierra Leone adding that they are working with donor partners on how to enhance a better life for disadvantaged Sierra Leoneans.

In response, the IGP welcomed the UN Resident Coordinator and team for the engagement.

He said the August 10 incident was not a peaceful demonstration but a violent one that led to the loss of lives of Police Officers, civilians, damaging of Police property, looting, burning of Government property and Police Stations.

He referenced the Public Order Act of 1965 that calls for an application to be made to the IGP before staging any demonstration adding that the August 10 incident was a faceless one as nobody applied or showed up but there were only threats on social media.

He extensively spoke of arrest, release of juvenile children to the Social Welfare Ministry and Don Bosco maintaining that the children have been re-united with their parents.

The Inspector General stated that the ongoing investigation are in different folds like cyber, murder, looting, burning of Police Stations and Government buses, larceny, riotous conduct, incitement and financing of the entire episode.

He furthered that thirty (30) corpses are still in the mortuary; of which eighteen (18) of them have been identified by their relatives saying postmortem examination will be conducted on them.

William Fayai Sellu spoke about the arrest of some who murdered the Police Officers adding that some of the suspects that were arrested have been released due to lack of evidence.

He, however, assured the Resident Coordinator and team of a speedy, fair and independent investigation.

The IGP said equally the rights of the suspects are respected as their relatives and lawyers visit them and went on to highlight the numerous challenges faced by the Sierra Leone Police especially in the areas of mobility, logistics, personnel strength especially as the country approaches a general electioneering period with the voters’ registration exercise currently in progress nationwide.

He appealed for specific trainings for the security sector targeting the sister forces and the Police maintaining how the Police alone cannot police the entire elections without the support of sister forces.

IG Sellu noted that they have intention to rollout training packages from now to December and January 2023.

The IG disclosed how the Police have made tremendous strides in setting up a radio station but said there is a challenge to get permission for frequency modulation from the relevant authorities.

He concluded by stating that the radio station will not only be used by the Police but is meant for the use by the security sector.

‘Greenway Ladies’ Targets First-Time Female Voters In Moyamba District…

September 9, 2022

By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu, D Catalyst

As part of plans to ensure the involvement of women in electioneering processes, a registered female led Organization in Sierra Leone called GREENWAY LADIES has over the weekend engaged first time female voters deemed eligible to vote in the General elections come 2023.

The project titled: “Civic Education for First Time Female Voters” which took place at Njala Mokonde, Kori Chiefdom, Moyamba District, targeted over 500 female voters.

Chairperson for the civic engagement, Mariama Ofori, lauded the women present amid their onerous busy engagements and reiterated on the compelling need to catch them young by creating the awareness and enabling ground for their involvement in appointing good leaders.

Chairlady, GREENWAY LADIES, Md. Kadiatu Kargbo stressed the rationale behind the involvement and active participation of women in politics and decision making noting that the importance of the civic engagement is to ensure and promote women’s participation in the registration process and future endeavour in all electioneering processes.

She encouraged her listening audience to not shy away from politics adding that such an ugly move would promote male dominance and also projects tendencies for election of bad leaders who mostly may not work in the interest of women and children.

Chairlady, GREENWAY LADIES, Md. Kadiatu Kargbo said aside the civic engagement held in Njala, similar engagement was held in Tombo and Hamilton adding that their invaluable contributions towards awareness raising, hover around social cohesion and engagement with community stakeholders in relation to incidences of chaos and promised with the availability of funds, to cascade similar initiatives to other parts of the country.

Deputy Head of Productions, Njala University Radio FM 92.5, Hannah Edna Bockarie thanked the Executive of GREENWAY LADIES Organization for the civic engagement especially at such a critical moment when the voter registration exercise has commenced nationwide and urged all eligible women in Moyamba District to register in their numbers and also appealed to the Executive of GREENWAY LADIES to consider having similar engagements in other parts of the county.

SLPP Member of Parliament, Hon. Tshombe and a youth advocate, Monya Konneh, urged all first time voters to pride themselves among the first people to have registered in the ongoing voter registration and appealed to those who have vowed not to register to kindly register and help elect their representatives in Parliament and in the District Councils.

A female football match, presentation to the winning team by Massah Kroma and radio awareness raising on civic orientation and involvement of first time female voters in electioneering processes, climaxed the ceremony.

Justice Emmanuel Ekundayo Roberts Elected Vice President of W/A Magistrates & Judges’ Association

September 9, 2022

By Abubakarr Harding

Supreme Court Judge, who also doubles as the President of Judicial and Legal Training Institute, Honourable Justice Emmanuel Ekundayo Roberts was elected Vice President of the West African Region of Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges’ Association.

It should be noted that in the past Sierra Leone could not even contest or present a candidate because the Judiciary was not fully paid up. Courtesy of the current leadership the Sierra Leone Judiciary is now fully paid up and Sierra Leonean Judges and Magistrates can now participate and be recognized.

In 2019, the current Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards had to settle on behalf of the Judiciary over 10 years none payment and today the institution continues to pay their subscription fees.

Hon. Justice Roberts defeated candidates from Nigeria and Ghana. He is the first Sierra Leonean to hold such a position.

This is not the first recognition bestowed on Hon. Justice Roberts. Recently, Judges of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone in a plenary meeting in The Hague, Netherlands elected Justice Pierre G. Boutet to a two-year term as Residual Special Court President and Supreme Court’s Justice Emmanuel Ekundayo Roberts as Vice President.

Justice Boutet now succeeds Sierra Leone’s Justice Jon Kamanda while Justice Emmanuel Ekundayo Roberts succeeds Justice Teresa Ann Doherty.

Justice Roberts was appointed a Roster Judge of the Residual Special Court in 2013. He became a Judge of Sierra Leone Supreme Court in 2014. He had previously been a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

He received his LLB from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, in 1989 and his BL in 1990 from the Sierra Leone Law School. From 2003 to 2007, he worked as a Legal Consultant at the Law Officers Department in Freetown. Since 2005, he has also been a Lecturer in Civil Procedure at the Sierra Leone Law School. In 2010, he was made a Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

ECOWAS To Meet On 7th Sustainable Energy Forum

September 9, 2022

By Abubakarr Harding

The 7th Edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2022) will be hosted by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Power of Nigeria at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Nigeria from the 31 October – 01 November 2022, under the high patronage of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari.

The theme for this year’s forum is Achieving Sustainable Energy Targets in the ECOWAS Region: Moving from Resilience to Transition.

ECREEE is the specialized agency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with a mandate for promoting sustainable energy markets in the West Africa region. ECREEE instituted the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF) in 2016 to mobilize investment in the region’s sustainable energy sector. The forum has since become the largest sustainable energy gathering in the West African region, providing a veritable platform for collaboration and transformative progress towards achieving the region’s sustainable energy targets.

The two-day event will bring together diverse group of stakeholders from within and outside the region. The expected participants include high-level representatives from government, regional and international development partners/donors, regional and international private sector companies, financial institutions, academia and research and civil society representatives to discuss and proffer solutions to the challenges hampering the development of a regional sustainable energy market, examine policies needed to improve energy security and achieve Sustainable Development goal (SDG 7) and what is needed to transition to a low-carbon energy trajectory in the region.

This year’s ESEF is notable in many ways. It will be the first face-to-face event since the COVID-19 pandemic; be hosted for the first time in the city of Abuja, the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission; and will be featured as part of the International Energy Transition Week (IETW), which also includes the IRENA West African Investment Forum and the annual International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition (IOREC) from the 2ND to 4TH November.

The event will also feature an exhibition for organizations looking to showcase their products and services. The exhibition is open to all actors across the sustainable energy value chain (manufacturers, EPC contractors, financing institutions, distributors, suppliers, etc.). ESEF2022 will also host an innovative Business-to-Business (B2B) Matchmaking to serve as an avenue to foster partnerships, business development and investment.

ESEF2022 is being organized in collaboration with a host of reputable partners, including the Ministry of Power of Nigeria, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the World Bank Group, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), the Government of the Netherlands, the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), amongst others.

President Bio Engages 60 Kids to Get First-Hand Information on the Nation’s Learning Crisis

September 9, 2022

By Abubakarr Harding

Sixty (60) children from pre-primary, primary, senior secondary, special-needs schools as well as adult literacy learners and the district youth advisory group in the Basic Education sector were hosted at State House by President Dr. Julius Maada Bio on the 7^th September 2022 to get first-hand information on the learning crisis in the country.

The President, while welcoming them to State House and thanking them for responding to his call, said: “The most important people we have today as our guests are the pupils and the students. Today, the conversation is going to be with you. We want to make important decisions around the world concerning education.

“For me, today, education is learning from you based on the fact that when I am here, I don’t know what is happening down there. That is why I have called all of you from different levels in various schools so that I can understand the barriers to education. There is a problem with education around the world and to end our ignorance and be able to provide better education, we need to hear from you.

“There is a crisis of learning around the world, and we are here to discuss how we, as a nation, can best prepare our children to be useful to take positions capably and handle the affairs of their communities and the nation. For you to be able to do that, you must have the best education. For you to be able to sit in this capacity and many other capacities and make an impact in the world, by moving things successfully, you have to go to school.”

President Bio said, as a Government, they believe that even though the children were still in early learning schools, they were aware of the negative impacts on education that the Government, Ministers, parents, teachers, and other elderly people might not be aware of.

“I am going to be chairing a meeting at the highest level in the world with the United Nations Secretary-General and to deliberate on education. But I cannot go to that meeting without talking to you because I will only be representing my voice if I do so. I have, therefore, called this meeting, so you can tell me what is wrong and I will take all of that to the global education meetings,” he informed.

Mamawa Jayah, from the Nyapui Senior Secondary School of Excellence in Kenema, recommended that the Government embark on digitalization of education by introducing information, communication and technology (ICT) to all secondary schools in the country.

Joshua Koroma, 7, of Blessing Primary School, said: “Teachers don’t give too much attention to students in the classroom. They don’t encourage children to learn well because the only key to education is education. Teachers should encourage us. Children should be cared for. All over the world, children too need attention. Just like all other people, children too need attention,” he said.

National President, Children’s Forum Network, Mamoud Barrie, said: “Statistics have shown that there is an increase of 2.1 percent in the population of Sierra Leone every year, and within 33 years, the country’s population will double. Considering the impact on the environment, in terms of education, the introduction of free quality education has increased not only enrollment but also school attendance. Yet, schools are challenged with infrastructure, which requires attention”.

Saffiatu Comfort Turay from Methodist Girls’ Secondary School recommended that the Government return all-girls schools to a single shift to ensure girls spend more time on their studies after school. She said the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) was another factor that had affected girls in school, pointing out that most of the existing facilities were not healthy or conducive for them. So, she recommended that Government could bring more school buses and also improve the conditions of their teachers’ services.

Head of the children’s section, Sierra Leone Library Board, Donsalay Davies, said: “The library now serves as a focal point in the education system in Sierra Leone. When the home fails, when the school is lagging, the library steps up to fill in the gap. With all our engagement with schools, we notice that many schoolchildren can’t read. So, we let the librarian step in to teach them reading all over again. We teach them early literacy, and these children are already in school learning.

“So, you need to pay more attention to the early literacy section of our education system because that’s where learning and reading start. We have noticed that book donations from organizations are not tailored to our needs because we are not consulted during the selection process. We need to be consulted because we know our children, their needs, and their problems”.

SLURC Conducts One-Day Workshop to Dilate on Outcome of a Conducted Research

September 9, 2022

By Mary Kabay

A one-day workshop was held by the Sierra Leone Urban Research Center (SLURC), in collaboration with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) targeting residents of the Moyiba and CKG communities as well as stakeholders in those communities on the outcome of a research that was conducted and how they have find possible ways to salvage some of the community issues affecting them through an impact project.

This auspicious event was held on the 7th September 2022 at the YMCA Hall on Fort Street in Freetown.

One of the officials of SLURC, Abu Conteh, did a presentation on the background of the project during which he intimated that the research was conducted in two informal settlements and the purpose was to understand the health burdens of informal settlement residents and their strategies to overcome those health burdens.

He further explained that the research methods included 30 narrative interviews with the locals, referencing governance diaries and making use of a participatory impact pathway analysis.

Dilating on the findings, he highlighted, local understanding about health issues, access to healthcare, living with disease, and gender experience of health care women to be specific.

Climaxing his presentation was the lessons community residents must learn for the future.

On the other hand, Juldeh Sesay, a Research Assistant did a presentation on the impact of the project for the Moyiba and CKG communities, explaining what the research led to and the efforts made so far by the community people to bring change in their various communities without having funds from donors or sponsors but through the capacity building workshop strengthen them through the impact project.

He also elaborated on how the communities resolved the research problems using capacity gaps, objectives on capacity building, knowledge exchange visits and setting their priorities right.

Juldeh Sesay ended up by pointing out the successes or achievements made by the Moyiba as well as CKG Community residents with key lessons from the impact of the project.

Equality Now Trains Journalists across Africa on Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Instruments

September 9, 2022

By Amin Kef Sesay (Ranger)

Equality Now, in partnership with Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) Coalition and with the support of the UNDP and UN Women, organized a three day Virtual training workshop from the 29th – 31st August, 2022 in which journalists from 10 countries, in four Regional Economic Communities, of the Francophone and Anglophone countries of Burundi, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Zambia. Sierra Leone, actively participated.

The workshop was tailored to enhance participants’ capacities to report on Gender-Based Violence against women and girls vis-à-vis gender equality and women’s empowerment instruments in addition to the women’s rights frameworks and instruments.

During the three days training, emphasis was placed on understanding the Maputo Protocol, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the C100 ILO Equal Remuneration Convention for the benefit of participants and to put us at vantage positions to promote women’s rights across Africa.

The facilitators also guided us, the participants, to identify opportunities to hold our respective countries accountable for ending violence against women and girls in Africa.

As and when the sessions were facilitated journalists were also given a platform to share experiences and best practices in highlighting women’s rights violations.

Held virtually via Zoom, the sessions throughout the three days were facilitated by seasoned gender and media experts and the sessions were very interactive as we were availed opportunities to share experiences acquired or learnt about from our various countries.

Short presentations were made by individual participants which were then followed by discussions and debates focusing on relevant women’s rights instruments. Examples were made of best practices drawn from the various women’s rights and CSOs organizations.

The workshop further availed us, the participants, certain skills and techniques that have now positioned us as journalists to be able to analyze facts, issues, and data from a gender perspective.

Sub-topics taught such as: What are human rights?, What is the nature of human rights?, Definition of SGBV, its components, status and prevalence in Africa, The role of the media in ending SGBV across Africa, exploring the role of the media in the advancement and protection of women’s rights through the Maputo Protocol, CEDAW, and ILO Equal Remuneration, Impact of socialization and patriarchy in reporting and advancing the rights of women and girls in Africa, Principles of gender-sensitive reporting, Ethical considerations needed when interviewing survivors of SGBV, Drawing from the experiences of a survivor of FGM and exploring opportunities that exist for journalists and other media actors for advocacy on ending violence against women and girls, have broaden my horizon on Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

A recap of topics covered on a previous day really reinforced my understanding of all the topics that were discussed.

For now I can track the Government’s efforts in addressing gender equality and enhancing women empowerment in Sierra Leone and as well raise awareness on the Maputo Protocol, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the C100 ILO Equal Remuneration Convention through reporting and monitoring their implementation by Sierra Leone.

Further, I now understand as a journalist that stereotypical and harmful gender language must not be used as they help to further impede efforts that are made to advocate for the ratification, domestication, and implementation of the aforementioned instruments.

I want to be very grateful to Equality Now and its partners for building my capacity on women empowerment because through the training workshop my knowledge about gender equality and women empowerment framework and instruments has improved.

Besides, I am now in a position to report and monitor the implementation of the gender equality and women empowerment instruments within my country, which will feed into continental news and be used as an advocacy tool to engage with other Member States.

At the end of the three day training workshop, Certificates of Participation were issued to all the participants that went through the training.

I would like to express profound thanks and appreciation to Equality Now for affording me the opportunity to be capacitated to become an informed journalist on Sexual and Gender Based Violence issues.