Effects of War DIAMOND? of Civil Conflict in Sierra Leone Forced migration of Sierra Leonean women to other
countries in the sub-Saharan region, notably Ghana, exposed them to the efforts that women have taken in other parts of the world to fight for gender equality. With specific reference to Ghana, in a recent article entitled “State Offers Lessons for Sierra Leone in Women Empowerment”, Hon. Dr. Barnadetta Lahai from Sierra Leone noted that “
...in terms of advocacy, women’s rights and empowerment, Ghana has taken the lead in the West African sub-region and we [S/L women] are taking inspiration from you” (Poku, 2011). The early women’s rights movement in Sierra Leone
was therefore influenced by the earlier women’s rights movement in Ghana, where women were already taking strides to spotlight the issue. For instance, the former First Lady of Ghana Nana K, A. Rawlings (1981-2001), had already criss-crossed the globe raising awareness on gender issues in Africa with a mission to empower a generation, one woman at a time (Amoako-Agyei, 2011). First Lady Rawlings also founded the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM) in 1982, which became Ghana’s earliest and most effective prototype of
a progressive grassroots women’s movement (Amoaku- Agyei, 2011). Effectively, Sierra Leonean women who fled the civil
war and sought refuge in Ghana learned from Ghanaian women leaders to become more aware of gender issues. When civil strife ended in Sierra Leone and the women returned home, they brought with them a profoundly different perspective on their customs and way of life, including gender roles and their rights, and they began to question and raise their voices on issues. After the war, many international NGOs came to
Sierra Leone to assist with post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction. These NGOs helped to introduce the concept of gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting feature of humanitarian and development assistance programs run throughout Sierra Leone. Gender equality was promoted through outreach and advocacy activities and through support for early Sierra Leonean gender equality voices and organizations. Through foreign aid and NGO activity, Sierra Leonean
woman were able to access free livelihood skills training, which helped to build economic independence. A
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