1. W: WONDERFUL
O: OPTIMISTIC
M: METICULOUS
E: ENERGETIC/ENDURINGE: ENERGETIC/ENDURING
N: NURTURING
This is who women are. As of the 1970s, the discipline of
history for instance challenged the marginalization of women
all around the world with the activism and literature work of
women like Elizabeth Freeman, Abigail Adams, Harriet
Tobman, Josephine Ruffin and even men as in Fredrick
Douglas.

2. Marginalization of women is a global problem, however in most African
Countries Women are at the bottom layers of powerlessness. Even
though the world now seek to stream line these issues, as in the third
Millennium development goal which seeks to Promote Gender Equality
and women’s Empowerment, women still face series of challenges.

3. THE COMMON CHALLENGES
FACED BY WOMEN/GIRLS
The genesis of the many challenges being faced by women is
embedded in the words of Shirley Chrisholm, as she says “the
emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of femalesemotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females
begins when the doctor says ‘it’s a girl’ “. The common
challenges faced by women/girls include but not limited to the
following:

4. Patriarchal Society
women all over the world are faced with the challenge of
seeking equality in a society that has been labeled a patriarchal
system.

5. Even in formal occasions society sees it more convenient to
just go by the title Chairman instead of
Chairwoman/chairperson as the case may be.

6. This is the patriarchal society we live in where it is a tradition for
a woman to be in the kitchen after work while her male
counterpart seats in the parlor with his legs stretched out,
watching TV and sipping his wine. There are fathers abandoning
their wives and children because the wives have not born them a
male child.

7. Education
this is another challenge that is being faced by women in the
world, Africa in general and Sierra Leone to be specific. Even
though the third Millennium Development Goal seeks to
promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through
education by this year (2015), there are still homes, towns and
villages that do believe that the place of the girl child is in the
kitchen and at home doing chores and being taught how to take
care of their male counterparts.

8. Girl child education is still a luxury and a privilege to many,
rather than a right. Some families believe that investing in girl
child’s education is a waste as she will eventually be married off
and become the husband’s “property”.

9. Our people say “a woman cannot be at the same educational level or
even higher than her husband, because she will not respect her husband”.
However it is ok and normal for a man to get more education than the
wife. This is a serious challenge faced by women.

10. Teenage Pregnancy/Rape
for so many girls, after getting pregnant in their teenage years,
that become the end of their school life and for those who are
not going to school, it is mostly the start of a very difficult life
for them. For some it brings an end to a prospective successful
life for them.life for them.

11. Many pregnant girls eventually become school drop-outs and
take into street trading, begging and even prostitution. In most
cases, the children that they bear also take to the streets. This
is largely what happens except for unique cases where the
teenage pregnant girl hails from a “well to do family”.

12. Teenage pregnancy has immensely affected girls’ education in Africa
and Sierra Leone in particular, for these girls and sometimes their
families believe that as long as you have become pregnant in your
teens, school is no longer for you, whereas the boys/men who
impregnate them still go about their normal life.

13. So many women and girls have become victims of rape.
Every day in the world a lot of girls and women are
being raped by their fathers, uncles, thugs, boyfriends,
terrorist, even brothers’ rape their sisters. Rape has a
psychological effect on women/ girls. Some never go
back to the persons they were before the act.back to the persons they were before the act.

14. . Through rape, women have been infected with series of sexually
transmitted infections such as HIV. Some who are brutally gang-
raped have lost their lives, their womb and their sanity to this
horror. In some cases, this has led to the health and maternal
mortality women do suffer from.

15. . Female Genital Mutilation is another challenge in the
area of health for women. Some women have not been
able to bear children as a result of FGM.

16. Women face sexual harassment everyday in the streets, in their
offices, in church, in school, at the university and everywhere else
they find themselves. Women have lost their jobs, and other facilities
that will enable them grow in life due to their refusal to sexual
harassment. Students fail exams, some are refused graduation
because of their reluctance to succumb to sexual harassment by their
teachers/ lecturers.teachers/ lecturers.

17. Political Alienation
Women are still grossly underrepresented in government. In
Sierra Leone, women make up only 13.9% in parliament as at
the last conducted elections. Women are yearning for equality.
Of the 124 seats in parliament, only 15 women are in that total.

18. Domestic Violence
so many women are victims of domestic violence. They are
being man handled by their husbands and partners on a daily
basis. Some women have lost pregnancies, their sight, and have
got fractured spines etc all due to the domestic violence they
face. Everyday women suffer from domestic violence.face. Everyday women suffer from domestic violence.

19. THE WAY FORWARD: HOW DO WE
OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES
As said by Marianne Williamson, Women! “Our deepest fear is
not because we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we arenot because we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are
powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that
most frighten us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous talented, fabulous and powerful? Actually who are
you not to be?”
In overcoming these challenges, women should lay light on the
following:

20. •Be bold and confident as a woman, knowing that you have the ability
to do anything.
•Women should be empowered through formal education and skills
training, this should be done by the creation of more scholarships for
girls, also more sensitization on the significance of girl education, and
for them to stay in school.
•Create Monitoring units to follow up on Domestic violence cases that
are taken to the court, (in Sierra Leone the FSU and LAWYERS: Legal
Access Through Women Yearning for Equality Social Rights and
justice)

21. •Create more laws that will eradicate the perpetration and oppression
against women.
•Women should cultivate the culture of supporting fellow women who
they know can deliver when they run for office
. Involve teenage girls on sex education in schools; bring to light the
pros and cons of early sex activity. The Parents should also involve in
healthy sex education discussions with their children and combat thehealthy sex education discussions with their children and combat the
“culture” that parents should not talk about sex with their children.
For older girls teach them about the preventive measures.

22. SETTING GOALS AND ACHIEVING
THEMWhen women have learnt that they have the ability, setting goals
and achieving them would not be a problem.
Identify your goal/aim: your goal should be something you are
passionate about, it is the first step towards achievement.
Work with Zeal and dedication: put your mind and dedication inWork with Zeal and dedication: put your mind and dedication in
accomplishing your set goal, a dedicated mind accomplishes a
great deal.
Good time Management: a good time management is a
prerequisite for achievement. Work harsidously and towards the
time set, with this you can accomplish goals as planned

23. WHAT IS SUCCESS???
So many people say very few women have become successful
in life, but what is success anyway?
The English dictionary defines success as the achievement of
one’s aim or goal, and also financial profitability. Society has
linked riches and affluence to success, however for me, I define
success as achieving your desired goal and influencing lives
positively.

24. Women do not necessarily have to be rich to be successful; they
can set positive goals and achieve them which in turn will influence
lives positively. At Simmons college Boston Massachusetts where I
studied on women leadership through the US department of state, I
learnt of so many successful women who we study and celebrate
today who were not rich but made a significant impact in their
societies, women like Sojourner Truth who was a slave and later
fled and fought for women’s right. A caption of a story on herfled and fought for women’s right. A caption of a story on her
started with the phrase “she was a successful woman”. She was not
rich, but she had a goal for women emancipation with regards
suffrage and she worked harsidously towards it and achieved it.

25. Today we study about these women and their work and how their
aims and achievements have led to a universal suffrage for women.
This for me is success.
Anyone can be successful with just the right mind set, determination,
and passion.

26. In conclusion, like I told our hosts at the United Nations Head Office
in New York last summer, “I want to help girls and women to believe
in themselves and know that they are not inferior to their male
counterparts, for I do not wish women to have power over men, but
over themselves for they can do almost anything”. This for me will be
a huge success.

27. “I want to help girls and women to believe in themselves, and
know that they are not inferior to their male counterparts for I
do not wish women to have power over men but over
themselves for they can do almost anything”