Kadiatu – a force for change!
16 October 202413-year-old Kadiatu says that before she joined the Safer Schools for Girls (SS4G) project, her life mainly revolved around dealing with the household chores. “My life wasn't always like this, full of hope and dreams.”
“Every morning, I used to wake up, wash my face, sweep the floors, wash the dishes, and then get dressed for school. After coming back home, there were more chores: washing the dishes used for cooking, putting water on the fire for bathing, and fetching water to drink.”
From a small rural community in Sierra Leone’s Koinadugu district, Kadiatu is the fourth child in a family of ten. Girls in Sierra Leone face significant challenges when it comes to accessing education. They often experience different forms of violence at school based on their gender, such as bullying, harassment, and even sexual exploitation and abuse.
A safe learning environment for girls
To address this, the SS4G project, is dedicated to tackling school related gender-based violence and creating a safe learning environment for girls. By empowering girls and raising awareness, SS4G aims to create lasting change and ensure that every girl has the opportunity to realise her full potential.
As part of the project, Champions of Change clubs have been set up in ten schools where girls and boys can explore and question gender norms. By engaging in ongoing reflection and learning, the children work towards transforming deeply ingrained beliefs and challenge existing power dynamics in their communities.
“I joined the Champion of Change club at the start of the SS4G project. It became my platform to speak up for change in school and our community.
– Kadiatu
“Back then, girls like me weren’t heard, and violence was normal. Now, thanks to SS4G, things are different. We’ve become advocates, and our community is changing for the better.”
During the Champion of Change sessions, the children learn about body confidence, self-motivation, and gender equality. “These sessions transformed me into a confident advocate. I can now address these issues at school and in my community. I used to be hesitant about speaking up, but now I’m active and involved. The community has changed too, there are fewer early marriages and less violence.”
Learning about communication and respect
Kadiatu has also noticed a change in the way her classes are taught. “Teachers always used to overlook girls in class and choose boys to answer questions. They would also always praise the boys, saying that they were smarter than the girls, but SS4G changed that. We learnt about communication and treating each other with respect. Now, teachers ask both boys and girls to sweep the school grounds, we do it together.”
It’s not only in school where the changes are being felt, Kadiatu also reports that there are difference in her home life too. “My parents used to argue and shout at us, but I talked to them, and things have changed. My siblings listen to me now, and are willing to help out with the chores. We work together without arguments.” The SS4G project has been conducting weekly Champions of Change sessions in the 10 schools where the project operates. We bring together 300 children (15 boys and 15 girls in each school) in separate groups based on their gender. These sessions are an essential part of the project and aim to empower children, especially girls, by helping them understand their rights and sexual reproductive health.
Dreams of becoming a nurse
With hopes of one day becoming a nurse, Kadiatu says that her ambitions now seem more achievable than before. “I used to struggle with speaking up, but now, as a Champion of Change, I’ve been to radio stations to speak up for girls and women. Thanks to the motivation and confidence SS4G gives me, I now know who I am, and I act on it.”
“SS4G is not just a programme; it’s a way to learn and to stop doing bad things. It taught me to treat everyone equally, and that’s what I want to do as a nurse,” says Kadiatu. “This is not just my story; it’s the story of every girl in Koinadugu district touched by Safer Schools for Girls. It’s a real force for change, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
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