By Sulaiman Jalloh
As a means of supporting the government in its human capital development and girl child education drive, the Fullah tribe administration women’s wing held its first national symposium and fundraising dinner to support women and girls on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Family kingdom, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The fund is intended not only to support women and girls’ education but also to help the less privileged in society, including widows, orphans the aged, among others.
Alhaji Mohamed Sajor Jalloh alias Med-Saj, the Fullah tribal administration head and head of Council of Fullah Tribal Heads, thanked women for ‘a bold step’ taken to advocate and support women and girls’ education in Sierra Leone, while calling on the men to support their wives as they kick start the move. The chief offered two lots of land to women in order to support the women’s group to build school for adult education, especially for women. “We cannot do anything without knowledge,” Med-Saj noted.
For her part, Haja Isatu Jalloh-Turay who is the FTA women’s wing leader, talked about the girls’ education while expressing gratitude to all the attendees of the symposium, saying girl child education is very important, especially in the twenty-first century.
According to the women’s leader, before now, it was very difficult for the Fulanis to educate their girls. She added that when a woman is not educated, she becomes a liability to her husband, emphasizing the need for sending girls to school.
“When you educate a woman, you educate a nation,” she cited.
Madam Haja Isatu Bah-Kamara, the Fula Progressive Union (FPU) social secretary, talked about women’s empowerment and the need to send girls to school to acquire education, noting as women, they need to be encouraged.
Madam Bah-Kamara said one of the obstacles against girl child education is some religious beliefs, but expressed optimism that it would soon be a thing of the past. She encouraged women to support nation building.
People from various walks of life graced the symposium, such as, Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah, the former deputy speaker of parliament and two-time running mate of the All People’s Congress party, Chernor Maju Bah, Madam I.J Kabba, the wife of late President Kabba; and some members of parliament.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Wednesday, May 8TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
