In Sierra Leone, the has claimed the lives of over 50,000 people and caused as many as 2.5 million to flee from their homes. The rebels terrorized the population, raping women and girls, pillaging villages and hacking off limbs of their victims. For those who were able to escape the unimaginable horrors, Freetown became a sanctuary and the town still overcrowded with internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Submitted by Juliana on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 11:51
Madam Diarra said she was impressed that the Americans had nominated Mrs. Juliana Konteh on behalf of Women in Crisis Movement. She said the movement identified commercial sex workers and also sensitized women about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
Mrs. Julian Konteh, head of the movement, said she was happy for receiving such a prestigious award and thanked God for making it possible that her movement had won the UNFPA American award for 2011. She said the Americans visited their project site and other activities undertaken by the movement.
Submitted by Juliana on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 22:09
Meeting Emily Kamara and others and seeing the trauma of these women and children who had been raped was the turning point that motivated my nominee to take action. Walking through the marketplace in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, She met 19-year-old Emily Kamara. At 13, Emily's parents were killed by rebels. She was captured and taken as a bushwife, forced to meet their every demand. She escaped one year later, only to prostitute herself to support her four-year-old son.
Submitted by Juliana on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 20:04
Since 2001, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been supporting WICM, which has come a long way since its origins as a makeshift save-haven. Now a three-story building on the outskirts of Freetown, it houses a vocational training centre for the women and offers daycare facilities for their children. The scheme has provided shelter for approximately 2,500 women, training them in a variety of practical skills such as sewing, poultry farming, craftwork, and has established a literacy program.
