At the end of the last year, we had the wonderful news that we had the go-ahead to start three brilliant new projects with our partners MAPCO in Sierra Leone and PLA in Uganda in early 2022.
Now that the year is well and truly underway, the wheels are in motion and these three exciting projects have launched!
Women Changemakers in Sierra Leone
If you remember our Big Give in December 2021, you’ll know that this project has been made possible by our wonderful supporters. With our partners MAPCO, we will be teaching women literacy and numeracy, business skills and rights awareness, and giving them all the skills and tools they need to start backyard vegetable farming and soap-making businesses.
We’ll be working in some of the satellite communities around Pujehun that are hardest to reach, and work begins this month so that the seasonal vegetables have the opportunity to thrive. We are beginning with 7 communities but we are hoping to secure some additional funding to reach 10 rural communities.
Tackling injustice and building safer markets with women traders in Uganda
In Uganda, 85% of women work in the informal sector, which means they often have poor working conditions, unpredictable earnings and little job protection or stability. Trading at markets is a vital income source but often means they have no rights at work and their safety can be at risk.
With our brilliant longstanding partners PLA, we’ll protect 4,000 market traders to build their skills and collective power to protect their rights and safety.
Building resilient communities in the fight against child labour in Sierra Leone
Child labour is still common in developing countries like Sierra Leone, and farmers often rely on children’s assistance, but this can become a problem when the work is dangerous or puts children in harm’s way, is physically demanding, or denies children their rights to attend school or have free time for play.
We have begun working with our partners to help to end dangerous child labour on palm oil plantations.