Makalay Saidiatu

MoonTeen is a small community based organization in the rural area of Southern Sierra Leone that has been breaking barriers and shattering taboos.

This organization has established school clubs in the area, and guess what is being taught here to teenage girls? Sexual health, reproductive rights, child rights. Guess what is being discussed in these school clubs? Social issues like rape, child abuse, early marriage, teenage pregnancy etc. This is not something that is common in traditional rural setting. In Sierra Leone these topics are rarely discuss with children, even in the home, school and among peers. Discussing topics on sexual health is most times considered to being “rude” and is regarded as taboo in most traditional rural societies .

This organization in spite of all these ‘has dared to try’. Facing the fact that Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone is one of the district with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country, this group of young females which includes university students(from Njala University in Njala, Kori chiefdom), great women leaders in the Community and other women from all works of life took it upon themselves to birth change. According to the Director and Founder, Mrs Makalay S. Sonda they are doing this to help enable girls to focus on their education and prevent pregnancy so as to reduce or eliminate girls drop outs. She said that they are aware of the fact that “when teenage girls understand their bodies, the consequences of unprotected sex and many more, they will be able to make informed choices.” She added “menstruation is an important topic that should be discussed with teenage girls but here it is hardly talked about. Parents most times shy away from talking about it to their children. As a result girls most times are left not knowing what to do or who to talk to when they start menstruation. People consider it shameful so they hardly talk about it. But at MoonTeen School club “we are teaching these teenage girls that menstruation is absolutely normal and it is part of being female. We teach them not to see menstruation as something unclean.”

Remarkably the organization will be coming up with the first ever seminar on menstrual hygiene for JSS 1 (Junior Secondary School) pupils in Kori chiefdom. The seminar is organized to mark the World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28. However, the seminar will be held on June 8th 2019. During the seminar the organization plans to educate girls on menstruation which includes menstrual hygiene, managing period pains, and also health, nutrition and sex etc. They will also give away free feminine hygiene products such as sanitary pad, medicated soaps etc.

The most notable thing about the organization also is that they do all of these things with their own personal finances and without government or external support. The Chairlady Makiatu Kamara explained that each member contributes a prescribed sum every month so as to undertake activities and events such as this one.

This venture is laudable, and we salute these young women that are full of zest for promoting girls empowerment in this small rural part of Sierra Leone. We are proud of you! Sierra Leone should be proud of you.