The Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement, with support from the Graça Machel Trust and 50/50 Group Sierra Leone, has held a programme aimed at equipping adolescent girls with leadership skills, knowledge and confidence to identify challenges and lead initiatives within their schools and communities.

The programme was held on Saturday, 19 September 2026, at the 50/50 Group Sierra Leone Headquarters on Tower Hill in Freetown as part of the movement’s launch and step-down activities in Sierra Leone.

The event brought together adolescent girls for capacity-building sessions focused on leadership, decision-making, self-expression, community engagement and the development of practical solutions to challenges affecting girls and their communities.

Welcoming the participants, Professor Aisha Fofanah Ibrahim, Programme Director of 50/50 Group Sierra Leone, encouraged the girls to take full advantage of the opportunities and learning activities provided through the programme.

Professor Aisha Fofanah Ibrahim said the initiative was designed to help participants develop their individual capacities and become better equipped to make positive contributions within their schools and communities.

She encouraged the girls to remain committed to the programme, noting that sustained participation would help strengthen their communication skills, improve their confidence and prepare them to take on leadership responsibilities.

Describing the programme as an important achievement, the Programme Director urged participants to make effective use of the opportunities available to them further revealing how the capacity-building activities would continue through regular sessions, including engagements held on Saturdays.

Speaking about the Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement, Delree De’ Lange, Senior Programme Officer at the Graça Machel Trust, said the initiative was established to provide adolescent girls with the tools, knowledge and skills needed to become agents of positive change.

“The movement established its first hub in Sierra Leone about a year ago, creating a platform where adolescent girls meet regularly on Saturdays to participate in a structured capacity-building curriculum,” Delree De’ Lange informed.

According to Delree De’ Lange, the curriculum was designed by adolescent girls themselves and focuses on helping participants make informed decisions, identify solutions to challenges and take practical action within their families, schools and communities.

The Senior Programme Officer said the initiative recognizes that adolescent girls can make meaningful contributions to society when provided with the necessary support, skills and opportunities. “The programme seeks to help girls take greater control of issues affecting their lives and confidently speak out about changes they want to see in their communities,” Delree De’ Lange added.

She also stressed the importance of creating safe spaces where adolescent girls can freely express themselves, discuss challenges, exchange ideas and develop solutions while building the confidence needed to overcome difficulties.

Delree De’ Lange explained that the movement was not only designed by adolescent girls but is also led and implemented by them through steering committees and groups, with trained facilitators providing support in delivering the curriculum.

She said facilitators underwent three days of training on the curriculum before beginning their work with the girls in their respective groups.

Beyond the capacity-building sessions, the programme provides participants with opportunities to design and implement outreach activities based on solutions they identify to challenges within their schools and communities.

The Senior Programme Officer cited environmental sanitation as one area in which participants had already identified opportunities for community action. She said some of the girls had proposed establishing clean-up groups to clear gutters and improve drainage, while others are exploring ways of recycling plastics and other waste materials into useful products.

She also explained that products developed through recycling initiatives could be sold to generate funds to support continued community clean-up activities, demonstrating how adolescent girls could develop practical and sustainable responses to challenges affecting their communities.

Delree De’ Lange said the Graça Machel Trust would continue supporting opportunities for adolescent girls to take practical action and contribute to positive change within their communities.

She further encouraged adolescent girls in Sierra Leone and across Africa to recognize their potential and use their abilities to contribute to building a better future adding that young people should not wait for others to create the future they desire but should take responsibility for contributing to the changes they want to see.

One of the participants, Mary Julius, an aspiring presidential candidate for the Children’s Forum Network, said in an interview that participating in the programme will provide her with valuable knowledge and opportunities to strengthen her leadership capacity.

Mary Julius said the sessions will deepen her understanding of leadership and the empowerment of girls, while enabling her to engage more meaningfully with issues affecting children and young people.

She said her experiences as a girl in society had exposed her to situations she considered unfair, but noted that the programme will create an opportunity for her to express herself and engage with others on issues affecting young people.

According to her the initiative will encourage participants to share their experiences, perspectives and ideas while providing an environment in which they could learn from one another and develop greater confidence.

Activities during the programme included an opening pledge, a pre-assessment exercise and a series of lessons facilitated by the Sister Eagles. Participants were also organized into Nest groups, where they took part in discussions and other interactive activities throughout the day.

The programme concluded with a closing pledge and feedback from participants on their experiences and lessons learned during the sessions.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts by the Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement, the Graça Machel Trust and 50/50 Group Sierra Leone to strengthen the participation and leadership of adolescent girls and empower them to identify and implement practical solutions to challenges affecting their schools, families and communities. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/archives/64652