Support Women’s Leadership in Sierra Leone

At OneVillage Partners, we envision a future where Sierra Leoneans amplify their collective power to lead transformational change in their communities. With our NOW (Nurturing Opportunities for Women) program, we support women and families to address basic financial principles, provide tools for saving and tracking their resources, and learn communication skills to achieve personal and financial goals.

Mattu Vandi (pictured left), a 32-year-old volunteer teacher married with three children, went through the NOW program and brought about change in her and her family’s life. Before OneVillage Partners entered her community, Mattu had little knowledge about business and did not save or budget her resources. Additionally, she was never part of any group in the community and lacked the self-confidence to speak in public.

After going through the NOW program, Mattu was able touse her voice and knowledge to form a savings group for 25 women in the community, where group members could come together and contribute weekly to personal savings funds. Mattu was able to pass on the learning to 60 women in the community on goal setting, savings, and household planning. “I now feel very excited when fellow women and other organizations come to me for ideas and solutions,” Mattu stated. “OVP’s work has taught me a very big lesson, that speaking in public or interacting with other people within the society is not qualified by the level of one’s education, but rather through dedication, commitment, and perseverance.”

In 2021, the NOW program produced incredible results in communities:

• 347 participants

• 400% increase in women participating in public speaking

• 155% increase in participants having an emergency savings fund

• 86% of participants reported an increase in household income

This Give to the Max Day, we want to raise $10,000, so more women like Mattu can lead their communities to reach their financial goals. For every $500 raised, we can share the NOW program with another woman and her family.

Learn more about NOW and other programming here: https://www.onevillagepartners.org/programs