‘Now, me and my family live easily’—Meet Ishaka, Yattu and Baindu
Last month we met Jusu, a remarkable young man from southern Sierra Leone, who taught people in his community how to write through our Empowering Local Communities in Pujehun project, co-funded by the European Union. Jusu's story demonstrated the power of knowledge sharing and community building, how fundamental they are to lifting people out of poverty and setting them up for a brighter future. In Koiva, roughly seven miles north of Jusu's village, a similar story is unfolding. Working alongside our local partners MAPCO, we used our community-based organisation model (CBO) to administer economic support services, such as seed banks, small business loans and vocational training offers delivered by artisans, for the people of Koiva.
‘I am so proud of teaching adult literacy to women in the community’ – Jusu’s Story
‘It all depends on the (rural) women’
Today is International Rural Women’s Day. Today, as any other day, millions of women will wake up and set to work on farms across the globe. Though their labour is crucial in sustaining billions of lives, many will suffer worse access to resources, lower pay and less rights than their male counterparts. Many are excluded from the decisions which affect their livelihood; many experience abuse and some fall victim to modern-day slavery. Those with their own business may obtain lower prices for their produce and face discrimination and exploitation in accessing resources. And yet, without their labour, global food production would come to a standstill.