By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
Strong Women , Strong Girls , a leading woman and girls‘ empowerment Initiative in the country in collaboration with Tamar’s House International(counselling centre for the Sexual abused women/girls)has started their 'Sisters blessing Sisters' donation of food stuffs and sanitary pads that will reach about 1000 women and girls across the country.
The donation package included Cups of rice and a month sanitary pads will benefit women and girls in Freetown , Bo and Kenema.
Speaking during the donation, Mariatu Esther Kabbah, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Strong Women , Strong Girls , (SWSG) said she and her partner organisation Tamar’s House International Respite Care centre for the sexually abused are in Angola Town to provide food stuffs donations and sanitary pads to vulnerable women and girls that need these stuffs.
She said they were doing the donation because of it is one of their mandate to do charity as an organisation and also it is because they know that these are trying times in the country.
“In normal times, woman and girls are going through a whole lot just to put food on their tables . Some of these girl children do transactional sex for them to get things like sanitary pads for them to use on their bodies. Some of them use clothes that has lots of germs and diseases which is very unhealthy for them,’’ she said , adding that hence the reason they took the initiative to be providing sanitary pads to girls and women in need in different communities across the country.
The SWSG boss, Mariatu Esther Kabba continued that the donations are not enough but said it is their own little way of helping women and girls adding that women and girls go through a lot just to have a sanitary pad with sex they didn’t intend doing thus this will make some girls not to trapped by men in exchange of sanitary pads.
The SWSG director further added that they have been doing similar donations with other organisations with the distribution of free sanitary pads to women and girls in the vulnerable communities stating that this is just a continuation of what they have been doing.
“It takes a collective effort to respond to the challenges women and girls faced in this Covid -19 pandemic as they are so vulnerable and so part of what other charitable organisations are doing is a complement of their effort which made SWSG and Tamar International to be here today to reach out to the needy ,’’
Speaking at the event, the President of Tamar, Madam Jariatu Taylor said that Saturday’s donation at Angola Town, Blind School, school of the deaf, Kolleh Town is phase one of their target of reaching out to 1000 women and girls with food stuffs and sanitary pads across the country.
“we intend to give food and sanitary pads to 1000 women and girls nation wide . This first move targets 300 people , we will do similar donations in Bo, and Kenema . So today we will be in four different locations ,’’Jariatu Taylor added.
One of the beneficiaries, Matilda Davies, expressed thanks and appreciation to the two organisations for providing them with food stuffs especially the sanitary pads adding that they have learnt a lot on the need to take care of their girl child and how they can stay clean and hygienic during their menstrual cycles.