The Girl Power programme was a five-year international project on girl’s and young women’s rights, that has been implemented in 10 countries. ICDI worked on the reduction of gender violence, the socio-economic and socio-political empowerment of girls and young women in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Nicaragua, through the cooperation with local NGO’s.
To know more about the overall GP programme, please click here.
In Sierra Leone ICDI has been working closely with the local organization One Family People (OFP). One Family People started to work directly with disabled groups and street children in Sierra Leone back in 2008. Up to date it is the only local organisation intervening directly at the grass root level, providing outreach services and in depth social work through social workers and street workers. In Sierra Leone many disabled people live in self styled communities on the streets, sleeping in ramshackle places from which they are often evicted by the police.
Description
Within the Girl Power Programme OFP and ICDI focused on adolescent girls, and especially those with disabilities in the areas of Freetown and Moyamba. Activities taking place include:
· Vocational skills training centres for disabled girls (to provide them with skills for the labour market)
· Self help groups (girls clubs) for adolescent girls and young women
· Community based Mother’s Led Projection Units
· Training for Non Government Organizations and Disabled People Organizations, to support them in becoming more efficient and professional.
· Lobby activities with relevant government agencies, to support better implementation of policies and laws for protection of women and disabled people.
In 2011, the first year of the Girl Power Project implementation, OFP were operating in four communities. By 2013, this has increased to 13 communities, seven in Western Area/Freetown and six in Moyamba.
