On Monday 3rd May, Ami and Ahmed joined #TheEUandMe Roadshow and Pop-Up Photo Exhibition and set off from Freetown on a journey of discovery around the country, finding out more about how the EU partners with the Government of Sierra Leone to support Sierra Leone’s vision for its future, and sharing information during the EU’s first ever national Pop-Up Photo Exhibition in Sierra Leone.
Touring Freetown, Port Loko, Makeni, Kenema and Bo, #TheEUandMe Roadshow and Pop-Up Photo Exhibition will endeavor to show the impact of EU projects and how they contribute to boost agriculture, improve learning environments and livelihoods, facilitate travel and commerce, support the inclusion of women and young people and protect survivors of sex and gender-based violence.
Ami and Ahmed will join us to visit just a sample of the many EU projects in Salone.
An EU-Trócaire project to strengthen the voice and influence of vulnerable and marginalized women in local governance and agricultural development processes has given women in Bombali, Port Loko and Kambia Districts the confidence to challenge underlying causes of gender inequality. One of these women is Aminata Kamara who stood for election in Konta Bana community in Marampa Chiefdom, Port Loko and succeeded against the odds, to become the community’s first Deputy Headwoman. The position, second to the Village Head, is a prestigious role. An EU-Solidaridad project to revive Sierra Leone’s cocoa, coffee and cashew economy has supported 7,818 farmers and brought women and people with disabilities, who previously relied on subsistence agriculture, into the sector by enabling their ownership of cashew, coffee and cocoa farms.
The Rainbo Centres work across the country to tackle the causes and consequences of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone’s deeply gendered society and are delivering two European Union projects in Sierra Leone. The first – funded by Irish Aid through the Embassy of Ireland in Sierra Leone – is aimed at making sure that women and girls are aware of, have access to and make use of the free services available to them; the second strengthens community understanding and engagement to prevent SGBV against women and girls in Sierra Leone.
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a vital pathway towards learning and developing work related skills. In Sierra Leone, work to strengthen TVET, co-financed by the European Union and German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has boosted prospects for TVET students through skills certification programmes in three core occupational areas: in-service teacher training, an online communication platform to support a multi-sector coordination structure as well as vital equipment and tools for TVET centres. Infrastructure connects communities to greater opportunities for employment, healthcare and education. The EU-funded Bandajuma-Liberia Border Roads and Bridges project will contribute to economic diversification and development and represents the commitment of the Government of Sierra Leone and the EU to delivering renewed infrastructure. This immense project has rehabilitated almost 100 km of the Trans-West African Coastal Highway and includes the construction of 3 major bridges, across the Sewa River, the Waanje River Bridge and the Moa River.
To see all this and find out more about the EU’s partnership in Sierra Leone’s transformational journey, and how its development assistance aligns with the Sierra Leone Government’s National Development Plan, look out for Ami and Ahmed and #TheEUandMe Road Show and Pop Up Photo Exhibition: Monday 3rd May – in Port Loko, Tuesday 4th May – in Makeni, Wednesday 5th May – in Kenema and Thursday 6th May – in Bo or follow us on Facebook @EUinSierraLeone !
#TheEUandMe Road Show and Pop Up Photo Exhibition is organized by the EU in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland and Germany to mark Europe Week 2021 and will culminate on
Monday 10 May with a visit to selected schools of Freetown.
