AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  In a bid to turn young motorbike riders into agents of peace and community development, the Prevention First Initiative in collaboration with it's partners including the Peacebuilding Fund and UNDP,  organized a day's empowerment training at the Garden States Hall in Makeni. Themed as “Empowering Youth Bike Riders as Sustainable Agents of Change,” the event brought together dozens of commercial motorbike riders, widely seen as one of the most active but often misunderstood youth groups in Sierra Leone’s urban landscape. The training addressed crucial issues such as reproductive health, family planning, peacebuilding, and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In his opening remarks, Mr. Foday Mohamed Sesay, from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs commended the initiative, noting that bike riders interact with thousands of people daily and are well-positioned to influence public behavior. "Your role in society extends...