MAGE - SL

We have news! Soon we will be part of the Freetown Caring City - Care Block. We will launch the “Man Kia Skul” – Men for Family Well-Being!
We are proud to announce that we start the FCC “Man Kia Skul”, as part of the Freetown Caring City – Care Block initiative. 🤝🏾
This programme brings men together to reflect, learn, and take action for stronger families and healthier communities. Through weekly sessions, participants will explore:
- Positive fatherhood and shared caregiving�
- Household responsibilities and practical life skills�
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)�
- Communication, respect, and non-violent relationships�
- Challenging harmful gender norms

“Man Kia Skul” is about recognising the vital role men play in family well-being, and supporting them to become active, caring, and responsible partners and fathers. 💛
By engaging men directly, we aim to reduce unpaid care burdens on women, strengthen relationships, and promote gender equality at the household level.
We are excited to begin this journey with our first group of participants and look forward to the positive change that will grow from these conversations. 🌱
Together, we are building communities where care, respect, and equality are shared by all.

💜 We All Have a Role to Play in Mental Health Support 💜

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 🧠, a reminder that supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence requires collective action 🤝. Healing does not happen in isolation; it thrives in safe, supportive communities 🌍💙.

What You Can Do:
✔ 👂 Listen without judgment– Create safe spaces where survivors feel heard
✔ 🤍 Support survivors – Show empathy and believe their experiences
✔ 📣 Challenge stigma – Speak out against harmful beliefs and attitudes
✔ 🏥 Promote access to care – Encourage and connect survivors to support services

Together, we can create a society where survivors feel safe 🛡️, supported 🤝, and empowered to heal 💜.

With Purposeful – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers 🎉

✊🏾 International Labour Day – 1 May ✊🏾
Today, MAGE-SL joins the world in recognising International Labour Day! A day to honour the dignity, rights, and contributions of workers everywhere.
In Sierra Leone, workers are the backbone of our communities: from farmers and traders to teachers, caregivers, and frontline responders. Yet, not all work is equally recognised or valued. Too often, unpaid care work - carried largely by women and girls - remains invisible, despite being essential to families and the economy.
At MAGE-SL, we believe that decent work must also mean:
- Fair opportunities for women and men
- Safe and respectful working environments
- Recognition and redistribution of unpaid care work
- Protection from exploitation and gender-based violence
- Equal access to leadership and decision-making spaces
As we reflect on labour and dignity, we also call for greater investment in youth employment, skills development, and inclusive economic opportunities — because a just society is built when everyone has the chance to contribute and thrive.
Labour Day is not only about celebrating work — it is about advancing fairness, equality, and human rights in every workplace and every home.
Together, let us continue to build a future where all labour is valued and all workers are respected. 🤝🏾

🌟 Building Self-Confidence & Personal Power 🌟
We are proud to have successfully conducted training sessions for women across our three working districts: Kono, Kailahun, and Pujehun.
This training focused on building self-confidence and personal power, recognizing that many women hesitate to step into leadership due to self-doubt. Together, we explored ways to overcome fear, strengthen self-esteem, and embrace individual strengths.
A truly inspiring highlight was the presence of an elderly woman, highly respected for her deep knowledge of Islamic education, who once served as the town chief of Senehun Sowa in Pujehun District. Her legacy of service and integrity continues to inspire her community, so much so that her daughter was chosen to follow in her footsteps as town chief.
Her story reminds us all: leadership is not defined by gender, but by the quality of service we give to our communities.
💬 When women believe in themselves, they lead with purpose, and communities thrive.

Working Together for Change – In the Field and in the Office!
At MAGE, creating impact means working on many fronts simultaneously. While our dedicated colleague Abdul Martin is currently travelling upcountry to engage with our School Gender Clubs, the rest of the team remains in the office planning, coordinating, and preparing new activities and projects for the months ahead.
Through our School Gender Clubs, we continue to empower young people with knowledge, confidence, and values that promote gender equality, respect, leadership, and non-violence. Engaging students today helps shape the responsible leaders of tomorrow.
At the same time, strong fieldwork depends on strong preparation behind the scenes. From proposal development and programme design to logistics, monitoring, and strategy, every role contributes to our shared mission. 🤝🏾
This is how change happens: through teamwork, commitment, and action both in communities and at the office.
We thank Abdul Martin for his dedication in the field and appreciate the continued efforts of all staff working hard behind the scenes to move our mission forward. 💛

Our Power, Our Planet
Today, on Earth Day, MAGE-SL joins communities around the world in recognising that the future of our planet depends on the choices we make today.
For us, Our Power, Our Planet means understanding that protecting the environment is not the responsibility of one government, one institution, or one generation alone. It belongs to all of us — communities, families, young people, women, men, leaders, workers, and organisations working together for a healthier and more sustainable world.
In Sierra Leone, we know that environmental challenges are deeply connected to people’s daily lives. Climate change, flooding, deforestation, pollution, and food insecurity affect families, livelihoods, and community wellbeing. Women and girls are often among those most impacted, especially where unpaid care work, water collection, and household responsibilities increase during environmental crises.
At MAGE-SL, we believe that environmental justice and gender justice go hand in hand. A healthy planet supports:
Stronger and safer communities
- Better health for families and children
- Sustainable livelihoods for farmers and workers
- Greater equality and resilience
- A more peaceful future for coming generations
Our power lies in everyday actions: planting trees, reducing waste, protecting water sources, educating communities, supporting local solutions, and raising voices for accountability and sustainability.
Earth Day reminds us that progress does not only happen through global agreements — it happens through local leadership, community action, and shared responsibility.
Together, let us use our power wisely in service of the one planet we all depend on. 🌱🌍

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Joseph D. Howard, former CPS Coordinator in Liberia and Executive Director of CJPS.
Mr. Howard was more than a leader – he was a mentor, a trusted colleague, and a man of wisdom and humility. His dedication to peacebuilding and his unwavering commitment to strengthening communities across the Mano River Region have left a lasting impact that will not be forgotten.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, the CPS Network, and all partners who had the privilege of working alongside him. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, the values he stood for, and the work he so passionately advanced.
We also acknowledge and appreciate the strong solidarity shown across the CPS Network during this difficult time. The presence and support of partners, including the CPS Sierra Leone team, reflect the deep bonds and shared purpose that Mr. Howard helped to build.
As he was laid to rest on April 11, we honour his life, his service, and his enduring contribution to peace and justice.
May his soul rest in peace.

Strengthening Partnerships for Peace: CPS Holds First Quarterly Meeting of 2026
Seventeen participants representing ten partner organizations—MAGE-SL, SLOIC, CCSL, CSSL, SLADEA, SINOF, YMCA, Culture Radio, COMENT, and SHADE—gathered for the first CPS quarterly meeting of 2026.
The meeting reviewed key achievements and lessons from the past year while outlining priorities for 2026. Planned activities include security meetings, quarterly coordination meetings, a youth engagement meeting, and preparations for the CPS Partners Meeting to be hosted in Sierra Leone.
Partners also shared learning highlights. SLADEA presented its community-based Farming for Peace initiative and youth peace clubs operating across 15 districts, while YMCA introduced innovative waste management games currently being piloted in several cities.
The meeting concluded with partner updates and a renewed commitment to collaboration, peacebuilding, and sustainable community development.
🤝 🌍 🌱 ♻️ 🇸🇱