Uman fe yu rait

Changemaker: Marion Sama

The purpose of Uman Fe Yu Rait is to empower women and girls. Women make up 52% of the population in Sierra Leone, but yet they are constantly excluded from decision making process. This is in part due to ignorance about the rights of women and girls and the need to change attitudes, perceptions and mindsets of people. Women and girls need to be aware of their rights and empowered so that they effectively stand up for their rights.

The main highlights of the project were workshops and media sensitization.

Workshops - Two workshops were held and each attracted 50 participants. The

participants of the workshop included School going children, Traditional leaders

Women, Girls, Teachers, Religious leaders and Youth leaders. The key topics in the

workshop were: 1. Human Rights 2. Women & Girls' Rights 3. Common abuses of

women and Girls' Rights 4. Benefits of upholding women and Girls' Rights 5. The

three Gender Acts in Sierra Leone 6. Advocacy and Leadership skills.

Another aspect of the workshop was role plays which portrayed abuses of women and girls' rights. Media Sensitization - This included the airing of jingles, interviews and radio discussions. The jingles were aired twice everyday in the local radio station. There were twice monthly 30 minutes radio talk shows in the radio station. The radio discussion programs also provided 10 -15 minutes for members of the public to give their views on the issue been discussed.

The main objective of the sensitization programs was to educate the general public on women and girls' rights. Float Parade – A march pass was held that attracted a huge audience including women, girls and community stakeholders. During the march, the marchers carried promotion banners and placards with messages about women and girls’ rights and advocating about the end to violence against women.