Girl Child Network Sierra Leone
Empowerment of Girls in the Home,School and Community
Achievements
Regional Offices
GCNSL has established two offices in Freetown and Makeni city (northern region of Sierra Leone) to coordinate our girls empowerment model due to the expansion of our work.
Girls Empowerment Clubs
Since inception in 2011, GCN Sierra Leone has established 80 girls’ empowerment clubs with a membership of 3000 girls in Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western provinces of Sierra Leone.
Raised and Future Leaders and Decision Makers
We are the first organisation that has facilitated girls’ leadership training as well as ensuring their safe platform (safe places) where they can speak and be heard. Over 80 girls have been formally certified as leaders having led club activities.
Run Training Workshops and Seminar
Through production of training that is tailor made to meet the needs of girls 30 workshops were carried on how to start the girl’s clubs and girls empowerment in self/confidence building and leadership, career pathways, sexual reproductive health (SRH) (Menstrual Hygiene Management), financial management and also training of trainers in child protection and life skills.
This is a complete shift from girls exposed to pornographic information that would lead to some of them drawn into sexual exploitation.
Set up Resource Centres
The first ever girls resource centre was established in Freetown in 2012 and it provides the first ever platform for girls information centre on leadership, reproductive health, protection and prevention of various forms of abuse.
Daily an average of 50 girls visit the centre to read, counselling, network and share knowledge they need in right, career, skills and leadership development.
Business and Entrepreneurs Initiative and Programs
The first ever project that girls passionately carry out after school is the Money from our Hands income generating project.
This project has enabled girls to unleash their creativity (back yard garden), agriculture, production of Reusable sanitary pads and design products they can sell and use the income to support their basic educational needs.
There are ten girls clubs involved in the project and this project benefits over 200 girls.
We have launched our reusable sanitary pad drive production in May 28th and Women as role model forum in June respectively.
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Welfare and Support for Teen Mothers
In 2014-2015 we launched our teen mother’s forum to support them in back to school and skills training, health and leadership, child care and parenting skills etc.
Boy’s Mentor-ship Forums
Our boy’s mentor ship forum working side by side with girls in some activities from education, advocacy and skills.
Community Engagement Projects
We also launched and embarked on community engagement project with 30 communities in the western urban and rural area of Freetown.
Our focus is on health promotion, understanding community engagement, improve in decision making, taking ownership, strengthen communication skills at community level and learn community action planning
Hosted National Conferences
We have successfully carried out four (4) residential (7 Days) Annual National Girl’s Empowerment Conference since 2011-2016.
One of biggest and most successfully is conference 2015 and 2016 with 100 girls nationwide in Makeni City and Bo City 2016, 2017 and 2018 has being a year of great networking, collaborations in all activities and launching of new projects.
National Awareness Campaigns and Activism Programs
We have incorporated new girl’s celebration days like the first “Girls in ICT” Day.
Zero Tolerance on FGM every 6th February has being a great success as well as International Women Day each year 8th .
We collaborate with UN Women, UNICEF and other organisations in Launching End Child Marriage in Africa, we are part of a coalition in Ending Child Marriage in Sierra Leone.
Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child and 19 days activism for the prevention of violence against children and youth, 16 Days of activism in ending violence against women and girls.
The World Children prize for the right of the child.
