Photo Credit: Integrated Development Program for Teenagers
Women Crushing stones in their community.
In the peninsula areas around Freetown the capital city of
Sierra Leone and those closer to Bo Communities, young women and their children mostly crush bigger stones to survive they work hard for a better standard of living in an unstable
economy . These groups of people play a
major role in providing stones in the construction and development of our
beautiful homes and the nation. The energy exerted in breaking bigger granite
stones to smaller pieces in exchange of the money they get from selling is
minimal hence find it difficult to escape poverty. How can we add value to what we do ? Were questions coming from majority of these women.
Lack of medical facilities, Food, Shelter and capital for sustainability are the two major
challenges they are faced with in the field of stone mining when asked about
their concerns. These groups want to be heard and are seeking for help from organizations, government or
individuals who are touched by their stories.
Majority are care takers in communities around the peninsula
dwelling in very smaller houses built with zincs in deplorable conditions. They
depend on using manual tools to break larger granite stones dug from hilly
sites into smaller pieces which can be sold and used to support their
families. Most vowed to change their
situation if given the opportunity.
One of our major activities this year as a community Based
organization in Sierra Leone is to train petty traders who lack the skills and
knowledge in business to grow into successful entrepreneur, including a local sponsorship
program to help support their young teenagers holistically, This will help cut
down on poverty rate of most women who can in turn support their homes as majorities are the providers even with a man in the home. In major streets of cities and bigger towns street trading are mostly done by women who are aspiring to grow their businesses but lack the skills to invest in their small businesses so they resolve in doing smaller or petty Trading
for the day to day survival after series of trials with little or no improvement.
You can help change their stories and be part of our stories. Thank you for your time and support
