Sierra Leone News: CCYA on basic literacy training life skills

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In a project titled ‘Expanding the table: Empowering Women to identify strategies in Sierra Leone’s industrializing Rural Districts”, with support from the US State Department of State, Centre For Coordination of Youth Activities (CCYA) in partnership with Search for Common Ground (SFCG), recently concluded training for communities on Basic Financial Literacy life skills for Women Empowerment Association groups (WOEA) beneficiaries. The training sessions targeted 180 uneducated and unskilled women and young girls in Bombali, Port Loko and Pujehun districts. Large-scale land acquisition has displaced many of these women from their traditional agricultural sources of livelihoods, making them more financially dependent on husbands, fathers and boyfriends. These women beneficiaries were identified and selected from communities affected from companies like ADDAX in Bombali, Sierra Leone Agriculture in Port Loko and SOCFIN in Pujehun districts, respectively. 60 women were selected from each district. Some of the communities affected by lands acquired by the companies were: Worreh Yeama and Kolisoko in Makarie Gbanti Chiefdom (Bombali district) Romeni and Foredugu communities in BKM and Buya Romende chiefdoms (Port Loko), Taninahun and Sinjo Malen communities in Sahn Malen chiefdom (Pujehun) The rationale for the basic financial literacy life skills training was to train rural and semi urban young women and adult on how to start and run a small business. It is largely meant to develop basic financial and other soft skills needed to successfully run a small business within their communities and beyond. The project seeks to empower women to take ownership of the table and drive discussions and actions to empower women in rural communities. The action will directly support the political goal of providing protection to women in conflict affected areas by empowering women in three districts: Bombali, Port Loko and Pujehun. Through the creation of Women Owned Empowerment Centers (WOEC), the project aims to create a safe space where women will have the opportunity to learn and dialogue on women’s empowerment challenges and opportunities in their communities. Economically, the training will also empower women and girls who, as a result of the growth of large-scale industrial development, have been displaced from economic opportunities or at risk for violence. Through leadership, advocacy, community organizing, life skills and financial literacy training and support to implement micro projects, women and girls will achieve a stronger financial standing in their communities. This elevated standing will not only contribute to women becoming less vulnerable to violence, but also further empower them and garner the respect needed for them to play a larger role in household and community decision-making. Two consultants hired by CCYA to lead the process facilitated the sessions of the training. The facilitators were Jobson Momoh and Abass Bah from Help Sierra Leone. The trainings were divided into six sessions with role plays, storytelling and games which provide practical case studies and scenarios applicable to low literacy learners to ease their understanding of the core concepts of business. At the end of the two-day training in the various communities, participants were placed into groups of five. There were 6 sub groups per each WOEA. These sub groups were asked to identify the types of businesses they would want to engage in. Abdul Karim Samura in Port Loko and Bombali districts facilitated the process. The beneficiaries were able to identify the various types of business they would want to invest in. some of these were cattle rearing, farming, buying and selling of used clothes, groundnuts, cosmetics, palm oil, rice and drinks, among others. Thursday May 05, 2016

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