The West Africa Women's Association (WAWA) Sierra Leone has taken a proactive approach to assist women farmer groups by supplying them with one hundred bags of two hundred bushels of rice seedlings for their cultivation activities. This initiative fulfils the commitment made by WAWA President, Madam Mame Bintou Ndao, to address the seedling shortage faced by women farmers and promote agricultural empowerment for women and girls in Sierra Leone.
During the weekend, WAWA, in collaboration with its partners, distributed rice seedlings to various women farming groups across different districts and regions of the country. In the Rogbere area of Port Loko District in the Northern Province, the Rokel Multi-Purpose Agriculture and Trade Group received five bags of ten bushels of seed rice. The Ethnic Youth Organization in Masiaka received seven bags of fourteen bushels, while the Preach Peace Organization in 4 Mile received fifteen bags of thirty bushels. Gbokowaylay Village in the North West Region received seventeen bags of thirty-two bushels, and Rogboka Village received thirty bags of sixty bushels.
In the Eastern Province, organizations such as the Livelihood Development Organization, Kissy Bendu, Aford, Dignity Now, Vision for the Blind, and Siriwama also received rice seedlings in the Kenema and Kailahun Districts.
The distribution of the seedlings was carried out by Innocent Thomson, the Consultant Project Director, and Emmanuel Fomba, the Human Resource Director of WAWA, on behalf of President Mame Bintou Ndao. Both directors expressed WAWA's dedication to enhancing agriculture in Sierra Leone and empowering women, girls, and vulnerable communities through skills development.
Innocent Thomson highlighted that this is only the initial phase of the project, with the goal of cultivating more seeds, expanding large-scale farming, and improving living standards in the country. The project aims to establish a seed bank for food sufficiency, support school feeding programs, create export opportunities, and encourage active and sustainable participation of women in farming.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to WAWA for providing them with much-needed seedlings, as they have been facing significant challenges in their farming activities. They pledged to make the best use of the support and committed themselves to rice farming. The beneficiaries also encouraged WAWA to continue its support and appealed for additional farming tools.
WAWA is an International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) that operates across all sixteen Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS). The organization's vision is to establish and maintain platforms that empower women to contribute to sustainable development in all ECOWAS member states.