Mining firm, Sierra Rutile last week launched its new Livelihood Restoration Project, with a series of programmes aimed at helping women in the surrounding communities improve their standard of living through economic activities, and savings and micro-credit groups.<\/p>\n
Speaking to an audience of stakeholders and potential beneficiaries at the launch event, Sierra Rutile\u2019s CEO, John Bonoh Sisay said:\u00a0 \u201cEmpowering women is one of the pillars of the Government\u2019s ‘Agenda for Prosperity.’\u00a0 We also know from our research that women can experience the consequences of mining projects in substantially different, and often more marked, ways than men.\u00a0 Our programme of Livelihood Restoration is a practical and sustainable response to the needs and interests of women in our host communities which we anticipate will contribute to the promotion of gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment in this region, and go some way towards fulfilling our responsibilities in the area of community development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research into livelihoods in four of the neighbouring mining chiefdoms was funded by Sierra Rutile and carried out late last year.\u00a0 It found that women in these areas outnumber men, that there is a high rate of illiteracy and marginalisation among them, and that they are often the sole providers for their children.<\/p>\n
Recommendations emerging from the research suggested that women would benefit from economic activities with a quick turnaround, and savings and micro-credit groups with a business orientation.\u00a0 Programmes, funded by Sierra Rutile,\u00a0 which meet these recommendations are being piloted by the Young Women\u2019s Christian Association (YWCA), Sierra Leone, the Centre of Dialogue on Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation (CODOHSAPA) and the Government Fisheries Department, with up to 750 women benefitting.<\/p>\n
The YWCA, Sierra Leone, a faith-based organisation, has a strong presence in the area of Sierra Rutile\u2019s operations, and a track record in women\u2019s education and empowerment.\u00a0 An entrepreneurship programme being offered by Sierra Rutile and the YWCA to women in Moriba Town and Mogbwemo, will train participants in bread baking and market gardening, as well as provide essential business skills.<\/p>\n
A further training scheme, offered by the Fisheries Officer, Bonthe District on behalf of Sierra Rutile, will help 120 fish processors and fishmongers improve their fish processing techniques, as well as quality control and safety, leading to a better quality product which will command a better price at market.<\/p>\n
CODOHSAPA, has already supported the setting up of 52 successful community savings groups across the country including one in Kangahun in Lower Banta.\u00a0 It is bringing its expertise to a further six communities in the chiefdoms around Sierra Rutile.\u00a0 Francis Reffell, CODOHSAPA\u2019s Acting Executive Director, believes that the financial savings initiative has the potential to create sustainable change and development by helping \u201cenlighten the communities and promoting a new sense of direction and determination within them, so that they will learn to initiate, contribute to and own their own development process, and also hold their local and state authorities accountable instead of just counting on or being overly dependent on Sierra Rutile. \u201c<\/p>\n
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Mining firm, Sierra Rutile last week launched its new Livelihood Restoration Project, with a series of programmes aimed at helping women in the surrounding communities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":60806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[671,673],"tags":[7692,1924,4405,16880,4151,2096,4745],"class_list":["post-60805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-national-news","tag-empowering-women","tag-gender-equality","tag-john-bonoh-sisay","tag-livelihood-restoration-project","tag-mining","tag-rutile","tag-sierra-rutile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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