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Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the Mayor of Freetown municipality has officially launched the “Women for Water and Peace” (W4WP) Project in Freetown in collaboration with other partners.
The project aims to establish water kiosks, thereby providing the residents of Freetown with access to clean and safe water, addressing the longstanding water scarcity in the city.
The project will focus on five wards in Freetown, namely Ward 401 – Mayinkineh, Ward 408 – Rokupa, Ward 435 – Dwarzak, Ward 442 – Lumley, and Ward 443 – Crab Town, with the overarching goal of enhancing water access and promoting peace and stability in these communities.
It is recorded that, in the capital city of Freetown, the availability of this essential resource has posed a persistent challenge for its citizens who have for a very long time be grumbling over the situation. According to data from the World Bank, only a fraction over 10% of the country’s population currently has access to clean and safely managed water.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has underscored the importance of collaborating closely with communities to tackle the water crisis, acknowledging the specific challenges encountered by women and girls, who often bear the responsibility of fetching water for their households, adding that the ongoing project is designed to deliver clean and accessible water to multiple vulnerable communities within Freetown in a conflict-sensitive manner.
The Managing Director of Broad Engineering & Construction Ltd., Osman Jabbie, emphasized the potential benefits of entrusting the management of these kiosks exclusively to women, a move that was well received by the beneficiaries.
The implementation of the “Women for Water and Peace” Project will be undertaken in collaboration with various esteemed organizations, including the Federation for Urban and Rural Poor, Institute of Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ), West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Sierra Leone Labour Congress, and Sierra Leone Employers’ Federation.
Residents have maintained that this can be a big boost in the right direction and helping a lot of households with the water problems as well as committing to be closed monitors of the project.
