Mar. 7 – On occasion of International Women’s Day, Coopi, the oldest Italian NGO, wants to honor the women of Sierra Leone, who, after years of abuse and violence, have been able to recover. In Sierra Leone, Coopi focuses on women and their role in the revitalization of the country, after 10 years of a bloody civil war. The project “D for development: The future of Sierra Leone is a woman,” co-financed in the last 3 years with Elgon, promotes the recognition of women’s rights, the right to literacy, the right to land ownership. “Only educated women with rights can become free women, able to rebel against oppression and constraints of customary laws,” says Novella Maifredi, project manager for Coopi in Sierra Leone. In recent years, in particular, about 4,800 women have been trained about their rights. Most of the activities carried out have seen women trying to raise awareness to other women in their communities and, at the same time, trying to change the perception of men and traditional leaders with regard to women’s rights. In the future, it is also necessary to ensure that women have access to justice mechanisms. “In particular, we will work to increase the ability of women to have a legal or paralegal specialist support on gender issues, as guaranteeing legal representation remains a challenge for most women in Sierra Leone.”
