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CAUSE Canada and CAUSE Canada Sierra Leone Partnership on Monday, 23 February 2026, officially launched the EmpowerHER Project at the New Brookfields Hotel on Jomo Kenyatta Road in Brookfields, Freetown.
The seven-year initiative (2025–2032), funded by Global Affairs Canada, is designed to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among adolescent girls and women in 480 rural communities across seven districts in Sierra Leone. The project builds on the success of the pilot initiative, “Mi Small Wef No More,” and aims to achieve sustainable and transformative change.
Launching the project, the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr Austin Demby, emphasized that Sierra Leone’s development agenda is anchored on human capital development, with women and girls at the centre.
He noted that the Government’s commitment to investing in people influenced his decision to serve under President Julius Maada Bio. According to him, education goes beyond academic success and must equip women and girls with the knowledge and confidence to transform their lives and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Dr. Demby disclosed that the Government allocates 22 percent of domestic revenue to the Free Quality Education programme, stressing that good health remains a prerequisite for productivity. He expressed concern over maternal mortality, revealing that 14 percent of maternal deaths occur among girls under 20, largely due to teenage and unintended pregnancies.
He called for coordinated action among development partners, civil society, the media and government institutions, describing EmpowerHER as “not just a project, but a journey.” He outlined four guiding principles for its success: accompaniment, alignment, acceleration and accountability, while cautioning that donor resources must be prudently managed. “This is Canadian taxpayers’ money; we must account for every dime,” he stated.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of CAUSE Canada, Wendy Fehr, explained that EmpowerHER seeks to enhance access to family planning and STI services, strengthen the protection and promotion of SRHR by government institutions and community leaders, and improve community social practices that support the autonomy and decision-making power of women and adolescent girls.
She said the project is expected to directly benefit about 240,000 individuals, including adolescent girls, women and men, while indirectly impacting an estimated 2.7 million people nationwide. Fehr highlighted CAUSE Canada’s longstanding presence in Sierra Leone, referencing its maternal and child health programmes, microfinance initiatives, the CAUSE Kids Bursary Programme, and its contributions during the Ebola and COVID-19 crises.
Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Isatu Mahoi, described the launch as a significant step toward advancing the rights and wellbeing of women and girls. She noted that the initiative aligns with the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and supports key legislative reforms, including the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act (2022), the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (2024), and the Child Rights Act (2025).
She disclosed that the Ministry is finalizing regulations and a child-friendly version of the Child Marriage law to strengthen implementation. The project, she added, will train thousands of community advocates and Mothers’ Club members to promote girls’ rights, prevent child marriage, and support school retention through advocacy and cash grants, while also engaging men and boys to address harmful social norms.
Deputy Minister of Health I, Dr Charles Senessie, shared a personal testimony of how CAUSE Canada supported him during his medical studies by sponsoring his early public health sensitization project. He encouraged beneficiaries to seize the opportunities created by EmpowerHER.
Representing civil society, the National Director of the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO), Madam Alice James, pledged collaboration, assuring that member organizations would support community engagement, monitoring and advocacy linked to the project.
The Chairperson of the Sierra Leone Child Right Coalition, Ms. Boi-Jenneh Jalloh, welcomed the initiative, stating that it would reinforce campaigns against harmful practices affecting girls. Similarly, the President of the Children’s Forum Network, Philipa Cride Dole, emphasized the importance of youth participation in awareness-raising and peer education to amplify the project’s impact.
The event concluded with a video message from Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who reaffirmed Government’s support for CAUSE Canada and its partners, describing EmpowerHER as a strategic investment in the wellbeing and future potential of women and girls in Sierra Leone.
To effectively achieve its objectives, CAUSE Canada indicated plans to collaborate closely with strategic partners, including One Stop Centres under the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Rainbow Initiative, the Family Support Unit (FSU), and the Girls’ Education Movement (GEM) within the Ministry of Education.
