Reducing Child, Early and Forced Marriage project is making a difference in the Kailahun district of Sierra Leone

^{The CEFM Team and the Kailahun police officials pose for a photo during the donation. January 2023. Photo Credit, Save the Children}

On January 20th, the Reducing Child, Early and Forced Marriage project donated furniture and stationery to the Family Support Units (FSU) and Community Health Centers (CHC) of 15 communities in the district. The donation included 686 plastic chairs, 15 tables, 11 filing cabinets, and 135 bundles of A4 papers.

The FSUs in Kailahun town, Daru, Joijoma, Mobai, Baiwalla, and Manowa, and the CHCs in Mobai, Levuma, Baiima, Joijoma, Baiwalla, Senga, Manowa, Ngolahun, and Grahama all benefited from this donation. The heads of the FSUs and CHCs expressed their gratitude and acknowledged that the furniture and stationery will help them document, investigate, and prosecute cases of sexual and gender-based violence. They also noted that it will create an enabling space for victims to share their ordeals.

The Reducing Child, Early and Forced Marriage project is a three-year initiative being implemented in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. The project aims to reduce child, early, and forced marriage by addressing the underlying normative conditions that maintain gender inequality. The project also seeks to make alternative opportunities more accessible and meaningful for girls, enabling them to make decisions on their own future and fulfill their equal human rights.

By providing necessary resources and addressing the root causes of gender inequality, Save the Children's Reducing Child, Early and Forced Marriage project is helping to build a better future for girls in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. This donation of furniture and stationery to the FSUs and CHCs in Kailahun district is just one example of the project's commitment to promoting gender equality and creating a better world for all children.