By Alvin Lansana Kargbo
The Sierra Leone Poverty Alleviation Charitable Trust UK (SALPACT) has become an important partner for women farmers in the Western Area Rural District of Sierra Leone, through its support to the Women Advocacy and Agricultural Development Organization (WAADO). Last year SALPACT provided WAADO with fourteen thousand new Leones for the purchase of seedlings, a contribution that has given new energy to the organization’s agricultural efforts.
SALPACT is a UK registered charity that was established in 2017 following the floods and mudslides in Freetown which claimed more than one thousand lives. The charity was created to help prevent and relieve poverty in Sierra Leone by supporting education, agriculture, environmental management and community development. In recent years it has provided assistance to schools, promoted tree planting and climate change mitigation and supported various community projects across the country. Its involvement with WAADO demonstrates how carefully directed financial support can have a meaningful impact on grassroots agriculture.
WAADO, which was founded in 2007 in Waterloo, works to empower women through farming and agribusiness. With access to eighteen hectares of farmland, the organization trains women in planting techniques, soil management, post-harvest practices and small scale agribusiness. The aim is to transform subsistence farming into a path towards self-reliance and income generation. However, progress has been limited because of a shortage of equipment, inputs and financial support. The grant from SALPACT allowed WAADO to purchase improved seedlings that not only provided women with better planting materials but also encouraged them to expand the scale of their farming.
According to Doris Fatima Webber, the Founder and Executive Director of WAADO, the assistance from SALPACT gave her members a much needed boost. She explained that women in the organization are willing and ready to farm but often lack the basic resources that can increase productivity.
She noted that improved seedlings made a difference in both the quality and quantity of their yields. However, she stressed that the women still face many challenges including limited access to fertilizer, mechanized tools, irrigation facilities and storage structures. She added that knowledge in vegetable cultivation and pest control is another urgent need if the women are to diversify their crops and increase their contribution to the country’s food security.
Despite those challenges, the impact of SALPACT’s support is already visible. The use of improved seedlings has encouraged more women to view agriculture as a business opportunity rather than just a survival activity. It has also reinforced WAADO’s role in training and advocacy within the Western Area Rural District. Doris Fatima Webber Webber believes that with further assistance the eighteen hectares of farmland could be developed into a model farm that produces food, creates jobs and trains women farmers from other communities.
SALPACT’s contribution represents the type of partnership that can help rural women farmers overcome barriers and strengthen food security in Sierra Leone. The charity has shown that by providing targeted assistance, local organisations like WAADO can build resilience and deliver results that benefit both women and the wider community.
Founder of SALPACT and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Abdul Rashid Thomas, said that; “empowering women in rural communities with modern farming technology, expertise and finance, is the most effective strategy to transform the country’s agricultural sector, increase yields and improve productivity. With the dedication of all the Trustees of SALPACT, we are likely to see more resources poured into women’s farming in Sierra Leone.”
For WAADO, the grant is a reminder that progress is possible when women farmers are supported. For SALPACT, it is an example of its wider mission to fight poverty and promote sustainable development in Sierra Leone. Both organisations are calling for greater collaboration from Government, international partners and Non-Governmental Organisations to ensure that women farmers receive the resources they need to transform agriculture into a driver of national growth.
