Freetown, Sierra Leone – In a recent social media post, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr announced the ongoing efforts of the Freetown City Council (FCC) in partnership with various organizations to implement the Women for Water and Peace Project (W4WP).
The initiative, funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund, aims to address water scarcity and promote peace in several Freetown communities.
“Freetown City Council (FCC) in partnership with UNCDF, ILO, ILRAJ, WANEP, and FEDURP has been implementing the Women for Water and Peace Project (W4WP) with funding from the UN Peacebuilding Fund,” Mayor Aki-Sawyerr stated.
“This involves the construction of 25 solar-powered boreholes in communities such as Aberdeen, Dworkaz, Lumley, Mayenkineh, and Rokupar, which have been identified as hotspots for conflicts over water resources, including incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.”
The project not only aims to provide clean drinking water but also empowers women to operate and manage these boreholes.
“A key feature of W4WP is the empowerment of women to operate and manage the boreholes,” the mayor explained. “These are co-located with kiosks to facilitate the safe sale of water, fitted with water filters, and fenced and equipped with solar lights to increase the security of the women operators and those who come to buy water.”
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr recently visited one of the borehole sites in Mayenkineh with the German Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Jens Kraus-Massé. “Germany is the largest donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, so it was a chance for the Ambassador to see and hear firsthand the impact the project is having on women in water-deprived communities,” she said. “I was thrilled to see the progress made in the physical construction of the borehole and kiosk. But definitely, the most inspiring aspect of the visit was our interaction with the eight women who have been trained as the water management committee and water kiosk operators.”
The project has significantly impacted the community, providing 200 direct jobs for women and equipping them with entrepreneurship training.
“It has built their self-confidence and given them knowledge about their human and legal rights,” Mayor Aki-Sawyerr noted.
She highlighted a poignant moment from the visit, sharing, “It was also an opportunity for Aminata, one of the water management committee members, to share with us how she had used the knowledge gained from the project to ensure that the rape of a 14-year-old girl in her community was reported and the perpetrator charged.”
The intervention aims to provide clean water access to approximately 75,000 Freetown residents.
“During our community engagement sessions for the development of the Transform Freetown-Transforming Lives Development Agenda, access to water was identified as the number one priority of Freetonians. Significantly, the 25 boreholes will provide access to clean water to circa 75,000 residents of Freetown,” Mayor Aki-Sawyerr emphasized. “We continue the journey.”
