First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Bio, has visited Port Loko on February 4, 2024, to engage with the local community and promote the ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ campaign.
The event took place at the EBKUST field, where a large crowd of pupils from various schools in the municipality gathered to benefit from the initiative.
The ‘Hands Off Our Girls campaign’, which Fatima Bio has been championing for several years, aims to combat sexual violence, child marriage, and other harmful practices affecting girls across Sierra Leone. During her visit, the First Lady delivered a powerful message to the students, urging them to focus on their education and to stay safe from the challenges that often hinder their progress.
One of the key highlights of the event was the distribution of sanitary pads for girls and footwear for boys. Recognizing the importance of health and hygiene in education, Fatima Bio emphasized how these basic necessities are crucial to ensuring that girls can attend school without embarrassment or discomfort. The First Lady’s initiative ensures that young girls across Sierra Leone can continue their education without the disruption that comes from inadequate access to sanitary products.
The distribution was met with excitement, as students expressed their gratitude for the thoughtful gesture. Local community leaders, educational stakeholders and entertainers also attended the event, lending their support to the ongoing campaign, which aims to uplift the rights and opportunities for girls across the country.
“We must ensure that no girl is left behind,” Fatima Bio said.
Her visit to Port Loko is part of a wider initiative to raise awareness and provide tangible support to pupils particularly girls in various parts of the country, by equipping them with essential resources.
try aswell to encourage the teachers
This is a visit done at the right time by the first lady, young women and girls are subject to all forms of gender based violence in portloko district and stakeholders are so complacent about it. A young girl that is even less than 16 years old can be impregnated by men or young boys and the family compromise it, all they will ask for is the bride price to be paid and the girl victim gets married and that would be the end of her education.
There is a recent case at Masiaka Town involving a teenager been pregnated and the police and the family of the perpetrator are so complacent about the matter even though a teenage girl’s education is at stake. Let justice be served!