By Jerromie S. Walters
Helping Our People Excel (HOPE)- a non-for-profit entity that’s enraged with the vision to ensure the social, educational and economic empowerment of women and children (most especially girls) in Liberia- recently held a one day National Girls’ Conference, dubbed- “Girls’ Advocacy Forum 2023.”
With a significant figure of young women from different communities across Montserrado and Margibi Counties, the conference was held Saturday, October 28, 2023, at the Empowerment Temple AME Church, Sophie junction, Congo Town, Liberia.
According to the organizers, the forum is held annually to conglomerate young people to brainstorm and create new ideas. “The girls’ advocacy forum is an annual event that we have every year for members of our girls clubs. We have clubs in four counties, that is- Bong, Bomi, Margibi and Montserrado. We have 15 clubs so as an annual activity, we bring all of them together at one point to talk about issues that they are faced with in their communities.”
This endeavor, as narrated by the Adv. & Communication Manager, Ms. Alfreda F. Nmah, is to afford young women a safe space. “We want to create a safe space where girls can talk freely, they can seek advice and they.” “During their month long activities, they talked about issues, and as an after action is to develop an advocacy projects that we will support.” She says the forum was held in celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child. Moreover, Ms. Alfreda F. Nmah, acclaimed their partners for the support and also thanked the participants for their commitment to the process.
As it entertained several learning sessions- during the first session of the forum, the girls were schooled on Solidarity and sisterhood, the Importance of girls working together, by Ms. Hawa Wilson, a member of the Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI).
Through Ms. Wilson’s session, the young women were taught to understand the importance of female Solidarity and how to work together. She says sisterhood is crucial to all, as it helps young women in identifying their power, self-value, and self-worth.
In the second session- they were taught about the power of movement building, from youth’s perspectives. This considered the importance of working in movement and how to build a movement to influence change.
During the third session, they were taught about Advocacy planning and shareholders engagement strategy. With this, they were taught the definition of advocacy, how to distinguish advocacy from related concepts, described the steps for effective advocacy planning, and explained the relevance and order of each step in advocacy cycle.
The fourth session of the Girl’s Conference considered advocacy project development. This gave a broader picture of complete draft of advocacy projects.
Conspicuously, the last session focused on SRHR (Menstruation and teenage pregnancy. During this session, the girls were taught about their menstrual flow, and hygiene. They also learned the basics of SRHR, how to prevent themselves and their friends from teenage pregnancy, and the importance of adolescent girls living healthy.
In separate interactions, participants acknowledged the significance of the conference. With the conduct of the conference and their involvement, they say they were fortunate to have learned new things.
Harriet Harris, a member of the Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI) and participant of the girls forum articulates- “It is very impactful to us because some of us we are living in doubt, especially when it comes to the menstrual cycle issue, it has some stigma but with what we have learned here today, it has cleared my doubts.”
She says with what she learned from the training, her primary focus is to start practicing it in her own life, before extending it to others. Like Harriet Harris, Isadel- a student of the Monrovia College Industrial and Training School, and participant of the forum emphasized the importance of the training, and applauded the organizers.
“It is very important because we as young girls, we are not really educated on those things, sometime we hear our friends talking about it we feel like they are acting nasty, we don’t embrace it, like menstruating we feel that it’s nasty, so me being here today, I realized that it’s my proud,” she says. The initiative was funded by the Global Fund for Women.
Background
Helping Our People Excel (HOPE), Inc. is a non-for-profit entity incorporated in 2010 under the Association Law of 1976 of the Republic of Liberia. HOPE is managed by independent non-partisan professionals with the requisite educational background and practical experience in various fields.
Due to the 14-years civil crisis, women and girls have had limited access to information and services on sexual reproduction health and rights, civic participation, and livelihood opportunities. They also face many challenges ranging from sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (SHEA), teenage pregnancy, lack of financial support, and harmful traditional practices to being underrepresented in all areas of society. However, when they are educated, healthy and safe, they can create positive change in their lives and lives of others and the future of Liberia.
HOPE’s gender perspective focuses on the attributes associated with being male and female, relationships between and among men and women, boys, and girls, and with how this affects the distribution of power, resources and opportunities. We understand that these attributes, opportunities, and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialization processes. They are context specific and changeable. Therefore, we are intentional in engaging boys and young men in discussions and actions that address the effects of power asymmetries, inequity, social and gender norms on the health and rights of women and girls.
To this end, HOPE continues to be a leading non-for-profit local entity championing the cause of women and girls in Liberia, focusing on sexual reproductive health and rights, education for children (both boys and girls) and leadership development for women and girls.
Intrinsically- HOPE’s mission is to “promote Women and Children’s social, economic and educational empowerment through personal development opportunities, building strong community partnerships, policy review and advocacy”. HOPE emphasizes ownership and empowerment by bringing the beneficiaries and key institutions together to discuss social issues.
To ensure the social, educational and economic empowerment of women and children (most especially girls) in Liberia.
HOPE has a work culture based on good values, which all internal staff and external stakeholders should recognize and adhere to. Our values are: Trust – Transparency – Accountability -Responsibility – Participation – Excellence – Respect Commitment – Collective Care.
HOPE employs a gender and human rights-based approach. This approach is applied throughout our work, with a focus on the principles of non-discrimination and equal access, participation and ownership, accountability and transparency, and the rule of law. Over the last ten years, HOPE has empowered more than 500 women and girl as leaders in across Liberia; constructed 2 POWER Centers to create a safe space for women to get help and receive survivor support in rural communities; established and continue to support 2 Women Economic Empowerment Cooperatives; provided scholarships to over a 100 children for primary and secondary education; and played leading advocacy roles for the adoption/declaration of several instruments including the Monrovia Declaration to the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Manifesto for the Development and Empowerment of the Girl Child which has been translated into a 3-year national implementation plan, and the passage of the Children’s Law, 2011.
With support from donors, the entity has several ongoing social, economic and education empowerment projects including:
Social Empowerment: POWER- Promotion of Women Empowerment and Rights, Enough! Empowering women, girls, boys and men to take positive action in ending GBV in Ghana, Liberia and Mali, Sisters With Power/Girl Up Clubs, Boys2Men Clubs, National Girls Advocacy Forum, Education Empowerment: EDUCATE HER: Ensuring Gender Equality and Equity in Education, “Off the Streets Selling, Into a Seat Learning” Scholarships
Economic, Empowerment: POWER Village Savings Loan Associations, POWER Agricultural Cooperatives.
