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US Embassy Awards Public Diplomacy Grants for Journalists and Teenage Mothers Capacities Building

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson 


On Tuesday, 5th July, 2022, the United States-(U.S) Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone announced that they’ve awarded diplomacy grants to the Independent Media Initiative for Media Development-(iMDev) and to the Children’s Assurance Program, says the United States remains a strong ally of Sierra Leone’s National Development by supporting the country in various ways.

The exact amount or worth of the grants awarded to the two organizations are not disclosed but the grants is believed to be a booster to the receiving organizations in a bid to enhance for the development of journalist to positively reflect on the media in Sierra Leone as well as improves access to formal education and offer vocational training opportunities to teenage mothers in the country.

Specifically, the U.S Embassy stated that: “An NGO, the Independent Media Initiative for Media Development-(iMDev) has secured the funding to build fact checking capabilities of journalists in Sierra Leone while the Children’s Assurance Program which was founded by a U.S Exchange alumnus also received a grant to help connect teenage mothers with education and vocational opportunities.”


Among the two organizations that have received the grants, the Independent Media Initiative for Media Development-(iMDev) is the first to express their delight on getting the grant from the U.S Embassy. “We are grateful and honored. And we are looking forward to a great partnership with Media Matters for Women, Radio Listeners Clubs and our community radio partners, read a statement from iMDev’s official Facebook page.

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