On the outskirts of Freetown, up a red clay road gashed by hard rain, sits a makeshift shelter some women call home. One of these women is year-old Khadija Bah. Although Khadija is still a teenager, her experience betrays her youth. Made to watch her parents being killed before her eyes, she was then raped in front of her husband, who was promptly executed. After that, Khadija said, she was abducted by the rebels and taken as a bush wife, forced to meet their every need.
More than a decade of war has left this lush coastal nation and its people deeply scarred. An estimated 60, people were killed and thousands were severely and purposely disabled.
During the conflict, rape and sexual abuse were widespread. One in three persons were uprooted and forced to leave their homes. Many, like Khadija, headed to Freetown. Today the city is overcrowded with people, eager to rebuild their lives. Many are girls and women who lost their families in the war and are struggling to survive. The Women in Crisis project offers a lifeline to women like Khadija, who have nowhere else to turn.
Drop-in centers offer counseling and training, and clinics offer services to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections. Just a short drive from the makeshift site on the hill is a new building that is nearing completion. The three-story cement block structure will be the new vocational training center, where the women will continue to learn fabric tying and dying, tailoring and hairdressing skills. There will also be a health clinic, to which the Ministry of Health has promised to assign nurses.
Additional funding is needed to complete construction and pay teachers, who are now volunteering their time, said participants. We use cookies and other identifiers to help improve your online experience. By using our website you agree to this, see our cookie policy. Search Search. Main navigation Home Who we are. How we work. Strategic partnerships. What we do. Young people. Population matters. The new vocational training center, still under construction. Back to page. Share on Facebook.
