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This is a golden era for women, girls in Sierra Leone …President Bio tells school going pupils in Bo city

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By Joseph S. Margai, Strategic Communication Coordinator

President Julius Maada Bio has, on Thursday, 2nd February, 2023, told school going pupils in Bo city that this was a golden era for women and girls in Sierra Leone, citing the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022, which calls for at least 30% women representation in cabinet, parliament, etc., as evidence.

He made this statement during the launch of the free sanitary pads at the Bo Mini Stadium, where he also said that menstruation in many homes was a taboo as parents would never want to talk about it in front of their girls.

“My government believes that the future of Sierra Leone is female. That is why we are preparing the school going girls by providing for them free quality education, teaching and learning materials, and free meal in school,” he told his audience who were mainly school going girls and their parents.

President Bio said the free sanitary pads were a full package which will be with the girls for a year, adding that when the First Lady started the nationwide distribution of the free sanitary pads, she was doing it alone but the government has now come in to support her initiative.

“Teenage pregnancy destroys the future of girls. So, my government want to paopaly stop it so as to build a strong foundation for the girls. No school going girl should be given to early marriage,” he said and noted that there has been no better time for women and girls in Sierra Leone than now.

He told his audience that his government has committed itself to ensuring that there should be at least 30% women representation in cabinet, parliament, local council, etc., saying that they will only be qualified to benefit from that percentage if they are educated.

Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Bio, said menstruation is not a crime, adding that girls should never be ashamed of it.

She said President Bio understands what is menstruation that was why he has always supported it, noting that menstruation is not a choice.

“You should no longer late to go to school because you don’t have money to buy sanitary pads. You should now stay in school and should never worry about money to buy pads,” she told her audience.

She expressed her gratitude to UNFPA, Goal Sierra Leone, Care, and others, for their support to her ‘Hands off our Girls’ campaign.

Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, said President Bio and First Lady were two advocates that will stop at nothing than to work for the girls and women.

He said the Office of the First Lady was solely doing the distribution of free sanitary pads in collaboration with the government.

“Sierra Leone is now better than anytime in this country’s history because there is gender parity, increased in school enrollment, more trained teachers, retention in school, among other indicators,” he said.

Chief of Staff, Office of the First Lady, Salim Feika, said the 2023 free sanitary pads nationwide distribution has been launched in Bo city where 7,000 school going girls had assembled to receive theirs.

“President Bio’s government’s radical inclusion has helped to keep girls in school. We are distributing these sanitary pads to support that initiative,” he said.

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