Category: Latest Articles

Freetown, Sierra Leone – MMW’s Period Power Project, an initiative focused on menstrual health education and dignity for girls in underserved communities, has successfully completed another year of training programmes in the Bombali, Kenema, and Western Rural Districts of Sierra Leone.  Field staff, students and teachers are celebrating the significant achievements and positive changes with… Continue reading Period Power: Breaking Taboos, Changing Lives

Florence Sesay, MMW’s Sierra Leone Executive Director, has become the second ever Changemaker on the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL’s) programme at King’s College, London.  The programme aims to empower advocates and activists dedicated to advancing gender equality by providing tailored support for research projects tied to their work or local communities.  This initiative… Continue reading Florence Sesay, MMW’s Executive Director in Sierra Leone, becomes a King’s College London ‘Changemaker’

We are honored to announce that Athena40 presented MMW with the “Advocate for the Rights of Women” Award at the Women’s Interventions for a Sustainable Future reception in London. Athena40 recognized the tireless efforts of our staff on the ground in Sierra Leone who care deeply about cultivating gender equity in their own communities. The… Continue reading MMW Wins Athena40 “Advocate for the Rights of Women” Award

This year Media Matters for Women celebrated 10 years of serving some of the most vulnerable people on the planet – women and girls in rural Sierra Leone. We celebrated our anniversary in Freetown with an event that included the new Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Isat2a Mahoi, as the keynote speaker and honored… Continue reading Media Matters for Women Completes our 10th Year of Advocating for Women and Girls’ Rights in Sierra Leone

Media Matters for Women (MMW) recently launched its third year of leading the 12-week Period Power Project (PPP), an innovative program that teaches teenagers about menstrual health and hygiene. PPP has been integrated into the curriculum at 30 schools across Sierra Leone. Students listen to podcasts produced by MMW senior journalists, discuss what they learn… Continue reading MMW’s Period Power Project Plants the Seed for Teen’s Entrepreneurial Venture

During our recent peacebuilding project, Media Matters for Women (MMW) was a leading member of the women’s civil society organizations’ creating peace court barrays, traditional local gatherings where women settle political differences and promote peace through MMW podcasts. MMW trained more than 150 women across 6 districts as peace ambassadors during the recent national elections.  Subsequently, Florence… Continue reading Florence Sesay, MMW-SL Executive Director, Shares Insights from MMW’s Recent Peacebuilding Project at a UN Women Conference

Success! More women elected to public office By Executive Director Florence Sesay Media Matters for Women played a key role in the national elections in June. Many partners supported our training of “peace ambassadors” who took the message of peacebuilding and relationship-building into rural communities to offset violence. We did this via our own podcasts… Continue reading MMW Summer/Fall 2023 News

Media Matters for Women (MMW) is thrilled to announce that our podcasts, which share information pertaining to the health, wellness, and access to rights for women and girls across Sierra Leone, are now available on Afripods, a platform aimed at sharing podcasts across the African Diaspora. Having MMW podcasts available through Afripods means they can… Continue reading Media Matters for Women is Now Available on Afripods

by Zainab Sheriff Human trafficking is a very serious and growing problem in Sierra Leone, particularly for children. The government and other likeminded organizations have made substantial efforts to tackle the problem but much more needs to be done. ( Description is : How child trafficking affect the health of children.)

Media Matters for Women’s Senior Reporter Alinah Kallon, left, and Executive Director Florence Sesay stand in front of the world flags display at the United Nations headquarters in March. They were in New York City to lead an event in connection with the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, which was holding its annual… Continue reading MMW Spring 2023 News

By MMW Team Media Matters for Women (MMW) is helping to build a women-owned fish farming project in Kamakwie, a remote and impoverished area in the Karene District in northwest Sierra Leone. The goal is to empower women to pursue their own business opportunities.  Since 2010, MMW has produced and distributed podcasts designed to inform… Continue reading Fish Farm Project Takes off, Thanks to MMW’s Assistance

By Alinah Kallon, Senior MMW Journalist In May 2022, Jane Kamara (not her real name), an 8-year-old child, and her friends accepted a ride home from school with a driver for one of the banks in Makeni. The man, Unisa Kabba, known as J-one, was Jane’s neighbor.  J-one tricked Jane into going to his house… Continue reading MMW with Consortium of Communities of Practice Demand Justice for Rape of Young Girl

By Madeline MacKenzie  Media Matters for Women hosted an event in connection with the United Nations’ 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City on March 10. Part of our team from Sierra Leone shared their knowledge from a collective 30+ years of experience championing the rights of women… Continue reading MMW Presents its Work During UN Events in New York City in March

Telluride Daily Planet March 14, 2023 On the backside of their recent trip to New York City to host a panel discussion connected with the 67th session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Florence Sesay and Alinah Kallon visited MMW’s U.S. headquarters in Denver before traveling to Telluride in southwestern Colorado, where… Continue reading Journalists Travel from Sierra Leone to Telluride Raising Awareness

Arvada Press March 13, 2023 MMW Executive Director Florence Sesay and Senior Journalist Alinah Kallon spoke with the Arvada Press about their work advocating for women and girls in Sierra Leone. As MMW approaches its 10-year anniversary, Sesay and Kallon shared personal stories from their experience fighting for women’s rights in last-mile communities. They also… Continue reading In Sierra Leone, Local Journalism is a Lifeboat for Women in Rural Communities

By Zainab Sheriff, Senior Journalist  We are greatly saddened about the passing of Hannah Grace Lahai, a tireless advocate for women’s health and wellbeing, and a beloved and highly respected focal point for MMW in the Kenema district. In addition to being a longtime nurse, Lahai worked for MMW for six years, taking our podcasts… Continue reading MMW Mourns Loss of Hannah Grace Lahai

By Alinah O. Kallon, MMW senior journalist “As a woman and an activist, I feel fulfilled that all our efforts have not gone in vain. We now have a law to protect women in this country,” declared Emelia Kamara Jengo of Makeni in northern Sierra Leone. She was expressing satisfaction about the landmark Gender Equality… Continue reading Sierra Leone Passes ‘Ground Breaking’ Gender Equality Law

For media requests, please contact info@mediamattersforwomen.org. NEWS RELEASE – Freetown, Sierra Leone, Feb. 17, 2023 –  Human trafficking of women and children has reached crisis levels in Sierra Leone, and MMW reporter Zainab Sheriff is determined to use her power as a journalist to join efforts to control it, particularly the trafficking of children for forced… Continue reading MMW Journalist Awarded Fellowship to Tackle Human Trafficking Crisis in Sierra Leone

For media requests, please contact info@mediamattersforwomen.org. NEWS RELEASE – Freetown, Sierra Leone, Feb. 16, 2023 –  With the political tensions surrounding the upcoming elections in June 2023, Ndeamoh Mansaray’s participation in an international conference for networking and training for journalists and democracy activists was timely and valuable for her work. The conference, “Building a Democracy Network… Continue reading MMW Journalist Collaborates with Regional Journalists and Democracy Activists to Address Election Coverage Challenges

A Message from Executive Director Florence Sesay We continue to campaign against sexual and gender-based violence by Florence Sesay I am pleased to welcome you to our new quarterly Media Matters for Women-Sierra Leonne (MMW) newsletter with updates and stories about our work. Foremost in mind for myself and MMW has been the 16 Days of… Continue reading MMW Newsletter January 2023