Sierra Leone market women are engaged to promote nutrition, immunisation and zero Ebola cases

Cross section of participants at the workshop. Source: Sierra Express Media

On 19 August 2015, a two day workshop was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the topic “Engaging Market Women to Promote Nutrition, Immunization and Maintaining Zero Ebola Case”. The workshop was organised by the Children Advocacy Forum Sierra Leone in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Market Women’s Association and with support from FOCUS 1000.

The event brought together over 215 market women nationwide. In addition, five participants attended from each district, these included the Chairperson, the Vice, Secretary General and two ordinary members including a male.

The keynote address was given by Chief Executive Officer of FOCUS 1000, Alhaji Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who urged participants to replicate the knowledge gained from the workshop to other colleagues, families and communities. He urged them to champion and support the education and development of their children, referring to it as the greatest investment.

Mohamed Foh, National Coordinator, Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) reiterated that Government has prioritized nutrition and that market women have a major role to play in promoting SUN, affirming that the food we eat is the soldier that protects our body from diseases.

Maude Regina Peacock, President of the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone, described the market women as a force to reckon with and the spark of life of local business. Solade Pyne-Bailey, from the Food and Nutrition Department in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, defined nutrition as nourishment relating to food and underscored the relevance of micro-nutrients in food which if unavailable, is incomplete diet, the reason for the partnership with market women to promote healthy diet.

Learn more about the event: Sierra Express Media