By: Abdulai Fornah
The National HIV/AIDS Secretariat Northern Region in collaboration with Aids Healthcare Foundation and others on Friday March 8, 2021 honored distinct Women Champions in Sierra Leone at the Makeni City Council hall in Bombali district as part of this year’s celebration of the International Women’s Day.
In line with this year’s theme of the International Women’s Day: “Women in Leadership, Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World,” recipients of the maiden Women champions awards from NAS, AHF and others consist of the Makeni City Council Mayor Sunkarie Kamara, Women of Hope and seating Councilor at the Makeni City Council Adama Conteh, WoFRAD’s Mrs. Emelia Jengo and more were certified for their marvelous strides in promoting issues of women as well as their exemplary stands in society.
The well planned celebration brought together over one hundred invitees from various sector of society ranging from Key population representatives, education, local and health administrators, pressmen, security personnel, civil society activists, school girls including staff of Red Cross, NAS, AHF-SL among others witnessed and listened to a number of inspiring statements delivered at the occasion.
In his welcome address, Paramount Chief Kassangha II of Bombali Shebora chiefdom in the Bombali district welcomed all attendees and further expressed his delight for witnessing another celebration of International Women’s Day in the municipality of Makeni, the heart of his chiefdom.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen you are heartily welcomed to the city of light, it pleases me most to see you all teaming up for successive celebration of our women within and across Bombali for their enduring commitments and progressed achieved over the years. I wish you all well, he said.
On her part as chairperson of the event, the Mayor of Makeni city Sunkarie Kamara hailed PC Kassangha II for his continued openness and fairness towards women’s development in his chiefdom. Noting that she is every confident that the paramount’s bold efforts in the promotion of the Tri-gender acts precisely on his quest to end all forms of discrimination against women in his chiefdom is indeed a legacy.
Mrs. Kamara also noted in her welcome address that she is among the poll of few women in society that has endured to stand out in a male dominated society and hence urged school going girls and women generally to gear up to end male dominance in their communities.
Speaking on the importance of the partnership between AHF-SL and NAS to celebrate International Women’s Day, the Preventions Program Coordinator at AHF Esther Sei said: “it’s our quests to help bridge the gender inequality and lack of access to adequate information gap women and girls in Sierra Leone and AHF has taken this move to prove further that our interventions and programs are not limited to the provision of HIV/AIDS counseling and health care services only.”
She continued with a clarion call for young girls and women in Sierra Leone to embrace education and skills trainings as the best remedies to bale them off several odds including low self-esteems issues some young girls and women are encountering that makes them vulnerable to contacts HIV and AIDS mostly.
“AHF-SL is hoping to see more Women in Leadership in Sierra Leone and on this day March 8, let’s all here say no to male dominance and for invitees to remain attentive to the statements of all speakers so at the end of the day, they will have enough testimonies to share back home,” she remarked.
The Support Officer at Panlap Police Division, Superintendent of Police Sia Sandi, spoke at length on the major challenges women and girls are faced with, urged women and young girls to inculcate the spirit of hard work, perseverance, dignity, and respect for themselves and others as well called for strict adherences of the provisions in the three gender acts of Sierra Leone by men in the country.
Councilor Adama Conteh also shared her experience as a disable, inspired others to say no to vulnerability, end discrimination against disable women and to create empowerment opportunities equally for all women irrespective of their status in society.
Several other statements were delivered in recognition of women before the celebration was climaxed with a presentation by the Drama Group of Red Cross Bombali which depicts the relevance of women’s inclusion in the fight to combat Coronavirus and other development processes.
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