Project Problem

Sierra Leone is slowly recovering from the Ebola epidemic that erupted in May, 2014 and quickly spread to all the 14 administrative districts. By May 2015, the virus had infected 12,208 men, women and children killing over 3,800 of its victims. The economic and social impact has been equally severe. A World Bank January, 2015 Report approximates the loss to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) caused by Ebola to be US$ 920 million. Iron ore mining companies which are key sources of foreign exchange earnings have closed down, exacerbating the unemployment situation in the country. The report emphasis that women especially those in informal economic activities livelihoods were hit hardest by the Ebola crisis.

Sierra Leone is slowly recovering from the Ebola epidemic that erupted in May, 2014 and quickly spread to all the 14 administrative districts. By May 2015, the virus had infected 12,208 men, women and children killing over 3,800 of its victims. The economic and social impact has been equally severe. A World Bank January, 2015 Report approximates the loss to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) caused by Ebola to be US$ 920 million. Iron ore mining companies which are key sources of foreign exchange earnings have closed down, exacerbating the unemployment situation in the country. The report emphasis that women especially those in informal economic activities livelihoods were hit hardest by the Ebola crisis.

Sierra Leone is among the poorest countries in the world. Nearly 60% of its 6.2 million populations live below the poverty line .The majority of the poor are smallholder farmers. The country has a very low score on the Human Development Index, ranking 183 out of 187 in 2013 (UNDP Human Development Report 2011). Sierra Leone’s low rank on the Gender Inequality Index, ranking 137 out of 146, shows the loss in potential human development due to gender inequalities in reproductive health, empowerment and economic activity (GII, UNDP 2011). Kailahun is among the four top poorest districts in the country, but it is a major export income earner. It is the largest cocoa producer in the country as well as key producer of rice, the staple food. Sharing border with Liberia and Guinea has made Kailahun among the most fragile location in the country. Kailahun was where the civil war of the 1990s started and the last place where the rebels were disarmed. It reported the first cases of Ebola infection and death, and has recorded 565 infections, 228 death, 202 survivors and 620 orphans. Fortunately, since December 2014, Kailahun has not reported any new Ebola case.

SEND Sierra Leone operational communities of Beude and Koindu in the Kissi Tongi chiefdom recorded the initial victims of the Ebola crisis and it lost more than 40 of its direct beneficiaries especially women in the livelihood program. In addition, SEND was forced to reduce developmental activities and convert the resources to deliver relief .The staff and KWIGN members worked with District Ebola Relief Task Force to conduct Ebola prevention education across the district In Sierra Leone, rural women are particularly affected by poverty, a situation aggravated by the Ebola pandemic as underscored by the World Bank cited. Illiteracy, combined with an ingrained sense of stereotypical roles and responsibilities, have left many women without the confidence to become leaders or involve in governance. Harmful traditional practices, for example early marriage, FGM and secret societies increase the vulnerability of women and contribute to their discrimination.

At the national level, the country ranks 102 out of approximately 150 countries analysed, in terms of women’s participation in Parliament. During the last elections in 2013, fewer women were elected to Parliament than during the 2007 elections, despite efforts by national and international organizations, demonstrating the enduring power of social norms. Of the 124 MPs only 15 (12.1%) are women. In 2013, of the 56 confirmed ministers and deputies only 9 (14%) were women. At the local level, culture and tradition play a strong role in determining women’s access to power: In general, traditional beliefs or customary law (to which majority of rural women are subject) about women being consigned to private life strongly discourage women from attempting to participate in decision-making. In some cases, it is either implicitly or explicitly virtually forbidden for women to aspire to high positions, such as Paramount Chief. For instance of the 149 paramount chiefs only 13 (8.7%) are women of critical policies. Additionally, most women, particularly in rural areas, lack the resources to mobilize institutions to protect their rights or to maintain unified networks for advocacy resulting in low collective voice and influence of women in political decision making at district and national levels As such, government attempts to improve respect for women’s rights have had difficulty making a sustained impact. Such efforts include the passing of the 4 Gender Laws in 2007, which enshrine women’s rights in a number of fields. Centralization of power in Freetown and lack of information-sharing in districts, combined with inadequate funding for implementing gendered policies, means a large section of the population remains unaware.