Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI)

CFLI implemented a project in the three chiefdoms of Upper Magbema, Masumgbala, and Tonkolimba with a slogan referred to as Ginneh Wuray ( a Soso word meaning Strong and resilient woman) aims to revolutionize the treatment of survivors, starting from their initial interaction with law enforcement to their reception of shelter-based care, training and reintegration. This transformative process is designed to impact survivors’ ability to reclaim a sense of safety, empowerment, and agency in the future. Despite initiatives addressing SGBV in Sierra Leone, women and girls continue to face substantial security threats within their communities and homes. Cultural norms, economic constraints, and dangerous traditions exacerbate the already complex issue of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Sierra Leone. These factors subject females to various forms of violence, with lack of awareness and trust in the National Referral Mechanism trapping many in abusive situations. Moreover, precarious economic conditions, widespread poverty, corruption, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage expose them to heightened SGBV risks, including those linked to human trafficking. Underreporting of violence prevails due to lack of awareness, insufficient reporting channels, and challenges with law enforcement treatment. SHADE proposes prevention and response community work in Kambia, on the border with Guinea, where we have been working for more than one decade. Significant amounts of GBV and cross-border trafficking is being identified here. Programming is done for Family Support Units of The Sierra Leone police, across the district, helping them to respond to survivors and the National Referral Mechanism. This project endeavours to empower community duty bearers to deliver appropriate services to SGBV survivors until their safe reintegration. The project will also raise survivors’ awareness about the role of gender and SGBV in their lives, providing skills for self-sufficiency, utilizing proven therapeutic approaches and training modules. SHADE-SL provides a trauma-sensitive approach training, ensuring would-be survivors feel protected, safe, and supported throughout reintegration. This holistic approach includes enhancing community members’ capacity to respond to unique needs of female SGBV survivors. Further, the project seeks to increase parents’ and community members’ awareness of the signs and effects of SGBV, knowledge about women and girls’ rights and supportive legal instruments, and the ability to report incidents, including referring cases of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAW/G). Furthermore, it also created an arena where school children and their teachers had the opportunity to discuss school related gender-based violence and also had a thorough knowledge on the Teachers’ Code of Conduct. Community stakeholders gained enhanced capacity to address harmful SGBV practices, such as child marriage, female genital mutilation and human trafficking. Ultimately, the project aimed to ensure that survivors are identified, referred for care and treated in a trauma-informed manner from their removal from abusive situations through investigations and the recovery process. By implementing these comprehensive actions, the Ginneh Wuray project strived to enhance access for marginalized women and girls to essential, safe, and adequate services, thereby contributing to ending violence against women and girls in Sierra Leone.