Introduction
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE is the first elected female Mayor of Freetown and the first woman to lead the city after almost 40 years. Her election as Mayor of the country’s capital city and her inclusive, people-centered approach to leadership has inspired and continues to inspire many young girls and women in Freetown and across the country.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr established the YAS Girls Leadership Foundation in January 2022 because of her passion, commitment and desire to be deliberate and targeted in inspiring future female leaders and supporting them as they seek to navigate the challenges they face.
Background
In 1961 Sierra Leone gained independence from the United Kingdom and became an independent country.
Sierra Leone ranks 155th of 162 countries in the 2019 Gender Inequality Index. According to UNICEF, females continue to fall significantly behind males in literacy rates (52.1%- 70.5%) and 43% of girls in Sierra Leone are married by the age of 18. Adolescent girls in Sierra Leone face numerous challenges as they begin the transition to adulthood. Decisions on their education and their future can become a burden; making these life changing decisions are even more difficult due to the lack of female role models for girls to speak with and learn from. The three ‘’Wings’’ needed to allow girls fly in accordance with the values of the YAS Girls Leadership Foundation are:
Prioritize education
Persevere through challenges
Believe in yourself
The ultimate goal of the YAS Girl’s Leadership Foundation is to ensure that the women and girls who make up 51% of Sierra Leone’s population, can truly fulfil their potential and positively impact the development of our nation.
Objectives of YAS Girls Leadership Foundation
Key objectives are based on the following:
To advocate for and amplify the voices of our women and girls in leadership.
To create multiple avenues of opportunity for girls to become future leaders in education, governance, health, agriculture and in any other professional route they choose to follow.
To educate women and girls on the long-term effects of poor health and mental fatigue and provide information that outline safe and healthy practices that lead to an overall better wellbeing.
To encourage and provide women and girls with the necessary tools to achieve their professional aspirations.
To provide mentorship for professional development.
To cultivate a generation of confident, educated, empowered young women and girls who will become future leaders of Sierra Leone, leading with integrity.
YAS Project
School Tour
On Friday 11th February, the YAS Girls’ Leadership Foundation rolled out it’s first project; “Give Her Wings, Watch Her Fly” school tour. The school tour, funded by the Center for International Reproductive Health Training, seeks to engage young girls on various issues including leadership, the power of female voices and how issues affecting health and mental-well being can be addressed. The first stop in this 6-month school tour cycle was Kambia District. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr Mayor of Freetown, accompanied by Port Loko Councillor and popular musician Ms. Natasha Beckley, spoke to female students from Kollenten Secondary School, Sunday Girls Foundation Secondary School and Linda Koroma Secondary School.
During the interactive sessions with the girls, discussions focused on the many challenges they face - they mentioned early marriage, teenage pregnancy, lack of financial support, sexual harassment, victimization, conflict between studies and domestic responsibilities. They expressed their dreams to become lawyers, doctors, teachers, astronomers and presidents! The session reaffirmed the commitment of the foundation to ensure that the women and girls who make up 51% of Sierra Leone’s population, can fulfill their potential. The girls agreed on three “Wings” needed that will allow them to fly:
Believe in yourself
Prioritize education
Persevere through challenges
The session ended with a live music performance of the song specifically developed for the school tour project.
Donors
Femie Wright