We were delighted to attend From Grassroots to Political Authority: Amplifying Women’s Voices in Sierra Leone presentation and panel talk at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London on Monday 9th March 2026. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, members of the Sierra Leone diaspora and supporters of MMW to explore how grassroots women leaders are… Continue reading From Grassroots to Political Authority: Amplifying Women’s Voices in Sierra Leone
By Alinah O. Kallon Media Matters for Women (MMW) has commenced a new phase of training under the Digitruck Salone Project, reaching 84 girls and 20 women entrepreneurs across Bombali and Kenema Districts. This new cohort represents a continued commitment to closing the digital divide and expanding meaningful access to technology for women and… Continue reading Advancing Digital Equity for Women and Girls Across Sierra Leone
We are delighted to share that the Souter Charitable Trust has generously awarded MMW a grant of £2,000 in support of our work with women and girls in Sierra Leone. The Souter Charitable trust was set up by Sir Brian and his wife Lady Elizabeth in 1992. Since 2006 The Souter Charitable Trust have awarded more than 20,000 grants totalling over… Continue reading Borehole and sanitation grant for school awarded by Souter Charitable Trust to MMW in Bombali District
Artificial Intelligence Update: MMW Partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute MMW’s Global Director Mel Manning and Founder Sharon Bylenga were recently invited to Oxford University by Johanna Barop, a PhD candidate in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences at Oxford University in the UK. They participated in a “high table” dinner at Mansfield College… Continue reading Artificial Intelligence Update: MMW Partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute
MMW Concludes Powerful 16 Days of Activism Campaign Across Sierra Leone by Alinah Kallon Media Matters for Women (MMW) has concluded its 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign with a series of powerful community-centered engagements across Bombali, Kenema, and Western Area Rural Districts. This year’s campaign focused on strengthening local accountability, elevating… Continue reading MMW Concludes Powerful 16 Days of Activism Campaign Across Sierra Leone
Written by Josephine Kamara At six in the morning, my phone buzzes. It is prayer time, my day has begun. My mother rises for her prayers and my niece and nephews get ready for school. By 7 a.m., I am getting ready for MMW work. I take a bath, put on my jeans, sneakers, and… Continue reading A Day in the Life of a Journalist: Josephine
A Day in My Life as a Female Journalist In The Northern Part of Sierra Leone By Alimatu Koroma It’s 7:30 in the morning. My son has already left for school, and it’s time for me to prepare for my reporting trip. My source is only available in the morning, so after waiting another hour… Continue reading A Day in My Life as a Female Journalist In The Northern Part of Sierra Leone
A Day In My Life My name is Zainab Sheriff J. I was born in the Eastern part of Sierra Leone. I am Mende – Madingo by tribe. I am a female journalist. After getting up in the morning I wake my kids for devotion, guide them to get dressed and eat, make sure their… Continue reading A Day In My Life
Written by Alinah Kallon Media Matters for Women (MMW) has launched a four-day workshop series this week focused on raising awareness and strengthening community action against underage FGM across Bombali District. Running from Monday to Thursday, the initiative brings together teachers, schoolchildren, parents, and guardians from 10 schools in 10 communities, creating a shared space… Continue reading Protecting Girls, Strengthening Voices: MMW Leads Community Workshops on Underage FGM in Bombali District
Media Matters for Women Provides Borehole Water Well for Matainkay Community Written by Josephine Kamara For more than a decade, residents of Matainkay Community in the Western Area Rural District have struggled without access to clean and safe drinking water. Women and girls often faced intimidation and fear while fetching water from the forest at… Continue reading Media Matters for Women Provides Borehole Water Well for Matainkay Community
Period Power Project: Empowering Girls and Boys to Break the Silence Around Menstruation Written by Alimatu Koroma Media Matters for Women (MMW) has launched a new cycle of its Period Power Project (PPP), running from October 2025 to March 2026, reaching schools across Bombali, Kenema, and the Western Area Rural Districts. Through this six-month initiative,… Continue reading Period Power Project: Empowering Girls and Boys to Break the Silence Around Menstruation
Celebrating the Power of Girls Written by Alinah Kallon International Day of the Girl Child, October 11 Every year on October 11th, the world comes together to recognise the rights of girls and the unique challenges they face. The International Day of the Girl Child is more than just a date; it is a… Continue reading Celebrating the Power of Girls
Communities Speak Out on Skills, Drugs, and Women’s Rights Written by Josephine Kamara The Samuyu Women Listening Center recently hosted podcasts on issues ranging from skills training and harmful practices to drug abuse and market challenges in Waterloo. Skills over harmful practices: Mary Kamara emphasized that women and girls need skills for self-reliance to reduce… Continue reading Communities Speak Out on Skills, Drugs, and Women’s Rights
Clean Water, Changed Lives: The Story of Rogbom Sella Community Written by Alimatu Koroma In the heart of Rogbom Sella, a remote community in the Bombali District of northern Sierra Leone, lies a story of resilience, transformation, and hope. For years, the people of Rogbom Sella suffered from a lack of access to safe drinking… Continue reading Clean Water, Changed Lives: The Story of Rogbom Sella Community
MMW Participates in ISOC BOLT and Resiliency Grantee Meeting in Nairobi Written by Alinah Kallon Media Matters for Women (MMW) joined grantees from across Africa at the Internet Society’s (ISOC) BOLT and Resiliency Grantee Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. Our Programs Director, Alinah Oliet Kallon, and Monitoring & Evaluation Officer Abibatu Kamara proudly represented MMW at… Continue reading MMW Participates in ISOC BOLT and Resiliency Grantee Meeting in Nairobi
Rural Girls in Sierra Leone Step Into the Future with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Learning Makeni, Sierra Leone — In a groundbreaking move to eliminate the digital divide in Sierra Leone, Media Matters for Women is bringing artificial intelligence (AI) education to rural communities through its innovative Digitruck Salone Project. Media Matters For Women’s mobile,… Continue reading Rural Girls in Sierra Leone Step Into the Future with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Learning
Period Power: Breaking Taboos, Changing Lives 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… Continue reading Period Power: Breaking Taboos, Changing Lives
Florence Sesay, MMW’s Executive Director in Sierra Leone, becomes a King’s College London ‘Changemaker’ 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… Continue reading Florence Sesay, MMW’s Executive Director in Sierra Leone, becomes a King’s College London ‘Changemaker’
MMW Wins Athena40 “Advocate for the Rights of Women” Award 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… Continue reading MMW Wins Athena40 “Advocate for the Rights of Women” Award
Media Matters for Women 10th Anniversary Sierra Leone 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,… Continue reading Media Matters for Women Completes our 10th Year of Advocating for Women and Girls’ Rights in Sierra Leone
The Media Matters for Women team showcased our female-owned aquaculture project at the annual Paris Peace Forum. The fish farm, which was supported by the World Bank and the Skills Development Fund Sierra Leone, provides significant new sources of nutrition to address food insecurity in the village of Kamalenka, a last-mile community in the Northern… Continue reading Media Matters for Women at the Paris Peace Forum
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
