Project

Enhancing Women’s Land Ownership Rights in Eastern Sierra Leone

Grantee: Humanist Watch Salone

This community-driven project is aimed at supporting an informed public debate and advocacy on women land ownership rights in the Districts of Kailahun, Kenema and Kono in Eastern Sierra Leone. The project will focus on research, public awareness-raising, building knowledge of communities on human rights and the Devolution of Estates legal framework, thus creating a forum for communities to critically analyze the need to enhance gender fairness and social justice, in the existing land tenure system.

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Lessons from Project

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Allocating a portion of the budget to carry out a research component at the beginning of the project is crucial in developing the best understanding possible of the key issues and barriers in the local context.

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Providing platforms through which women can educate other women is key for project relevance and impact. Women in Sierra Leone were not scared of speaking out to challenge prevailing cultural norms in Eastern Sierra Leone, they were merely unaware of their rights to land access in the first place. Providing women who have successfully secured land a platform from which to share their experience can build awareness and also inspire others as to what is possible for them to accomplish.

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In Sierra Leone, chieftaincy authorities are key powerbrokers in local communities. When initiatives work to build the capacity of women and girls, these initiatives are made most effective when they also work to change the attitudes of men and in particular, of traditional authorities. In addition, ‘chieftaincy by-laws’ are the most applied legal framework in rural communities, regardless of what national laws may say.

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