Protected, respected and empowered: Girls' voices from Sierra Leone

A group of children in Sierra Leone participate in ChildFund's Education for Protection and Well-being (EPW) program, which helps strengthen their social-emotional skills and their ability to protect themselves from violence.

Each year, the world celebrates International Day of the Girl on October 11. The special occasion serves as a reminder of the incredible resilience and hope that girls around the world embody. Despite ongoing gender-related inequality and other challenges, girls continue to envision a future where all girls and women are protected, respected and empowered. Aligned with this vision, ChildFund helps create conducive environments where girls can thrive and realize their full potential. 

One of the primary challenges girls face is school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), which can take the form of corporal punishment, sexual harassment or psychological abuse. SRGBV undermines girls' education by making schools unsafe and deterring them from attending regularly. This underscores an urgent need for focused interventions that not only address SRGBV, but also tackle the cultural and societal norms that perpetuate violence and discrimination against girls.  

ChildFund's Education for Protection and Well-being (EPW) program addresses this issue by creating safer learning environments and equipping girls with the skills to protect themselves and others. EPW aims to strengthen child-adult relationships, reduce violence and create safe, nurturing environments both at school and at home. ChildFund is currently collaborating with local partners and ministries of education to implement EPW in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Uganda, The Gambia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Over 11,300 children, teachers and caregivers are engaged in the program, and findings from evaluations have shown positive results. This wide reach highlights ChildFund’s global commitment to end violence against children, particularly girls, ensuring they have the resources and support to empower them for the future. From 2021 to 2023, EPW was piloted in two communities in northern Sierra Leone, and findings have documented powerful examples of how providing integrated support at school and at home can transform girls’ lives.   

Protecting Girls in School and Beyond 

For many girls, their dreams start with going to school; however, in Sierra Leone, nine in every 10 students in primary and secondary schools have experienced at least one form of physical violence. By educating teachers and caregivers on alternative methods to corporal punishment in the EPW program, girls are experiencing safer learning environments and have reported changes in their schools. One 13-year-old girl shared, “Our teacher used to beat us and use abusive language, and he would be yelling at us. That was before the program. But since the program came, our teacher no longer shouts at us, he no longer hits us, and he no longer uses corporal punishment." This shift from corporal punishment to positive discipline methods reflects the program’s success in creating safer, more supportive learning environments. 

These girls envision a future where protection is not just a promise but a reality. The changes fostered by EPW have led to more girls feeling safe to attend school regularly, a crucial factor in improving their educational outcomes. The girls who participated in EPW agreed, “We feel good and happy about coming to school. Before, we would feel vexed and afraid.”  

Respecting Girls’ Voices 

Respect for girls’ rights and voices is a core aspect of their vision for the future. In Sierra Leone, girls who participated in the EPW program reported feeling more valued within their homes and communities. One girl reflected, “Since this program started, [my mother] is no longer asking me to carry heavy bundles of firewood to go and sell in the [town].” Another girl shared, “My aunt also encourages me now; she does not use abusive language with me.” 

These changes are indicative of shifts in cultural norms. Girls see a future where they are respected, their rights are upheld and their voices influence decisions in their homes, schools and communities. ChildFund’s holistic approach, which focuses on supporting the child’s entire ecosystem, ensures that respect for girls’ rights is not just a temporary change but a lasting transformation. 

Empowering Girls with Skills for the Future 

The EPW program also empowers girls for the future by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves through self-protection lessons and an accompanying comic book. Girls have learned about the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors and reporting incidents of violence. One girl expressed, “Before this time, I never knew that some types of touches were wrong, but now I do.” Girls have also learned how to report abuse to a trusted adult and support their peers. As another girl shared, “If my friend comes to me and tells me about something bad that an adult wants you to do to her and considers me like somebody she trusts, like a trusted adult, if it happens in school, I will accompany her to report it to the headmaster. If it happens at home, I will accompany her to report the incident to her parents.” By learning how to recognize and respond to harmful situations, whether in school, at home or in their communities, these girls are better equipped to navigate their world. 

Empowering girls also includes supporting their social-emotional skills, in addition to self-protection. These skills focus on building positive relationships, effective communication, and resilience. The EPW program’s approach ensures that girls are not only academically prepared, but confident and capable of facing life’s challenges. 

Realizing Girls' Vision for a Better Future 

Through the Education for Protection and Well-being program, ChildFund is helping to turn the vision of a safer, more equitable education into a reality. We believe this vision is about creating the right conditions for children to thrive through a whole-school approach—working at the home level, in school, or within the community. 

These voices from Sierra Leone provide a glimpse into what is possible when girls are given the skills and support they need. Girls are powerful agents of change who envision a future where they are protected from violence, respected for their contributions and empowered to shape their own lives.