By Ragan M. Conteh

ActionAid Sierra Leone  on Wednesday 25th June 2025 presented its report on a new research about girls’ involvement into drugs.

The grand-launching of the “Girls-led research” report was done at the Sierra Palm Resort 75 Lumley Beach Road Aberdeen in Freetown.

The theme of the event is shifting the power. advancing girl-led research.

ActionAid Sierra Leone’s Executive Director, Foday Bassie Swaray, expressed appreciation to participants to be part of the ceremony.

He said as an organisation covering women and girls issues forms part of their many activities.

According to Foday Bassie Swaray, to work for women through inclusive and participatory governance, is part of their organization central role.

He spoke on how the organisation has pushed for gender equality, especially on how to curbing female genital mutilation which is perceived as human rights’ violations and gender-based violence in Sierra Leone.

He said, ActionAid prioritizes women and recognises them as agent of change in  society.

“We want to shift power to the girls, push for reforms,” he said.

Emphasising on the report, he said, the initiative can only be achieved when girls are given the prerequisite power to participate in research, stating that the movement pushes for women equality.

He therefore called for conversations be held with girls whom the issues are affecting.

Giving the overview of program, ActionAid Sierra Leone, Head of Program and Policy, Mohamed Fofanah, stated the report provides global strategies and prioritizes women and girls’ issues across the world.

He highlighted that the organisation wants girls to be masters for themselves, thus buttressing on the project as a pilot initiative which will be cascaded to the provinces in the near future.

Doing his presentation on the Research Report, Erica Ruth Gbakama and  Makalay Saidiatu Sonda said the reach is led by teenage girls themselves, adding that women and girls all over the world, including Sierra Leone, face lots of social problems and challenges because of the society they live in.

They stated that girls researchers were involved in every step of the research process from designing the research pan, asking research questions, developing research instruments, collecting data and analysing it.

They informed the audience that girls’ voices were pinpointed. They prioritize the research questions asked, chose appropriate data collection methods and analysis, adding that  they targeted focused groups discussions targeting community stakeholders who include parents, teachers, youth, religious leaders, women, chiefs, and youth leaders and among others.

They also spoke on how Sierra Leone is still faced with the deadly drug crisis, kush, adding that the country’s youth are living in a delicate situation.

This situation can easily make them to slide into the use of drugs and become addicted.

The report confirmed what they already know about the drug.

That drug addict is on the rampage and is affecting girls who are now victims of the drug.

They said during the research they also highlighted the problems of financial struggles on girls’ education parents faced with.

Launching the Report, the Minister of Gender and Childrens Affairs, Isata Mahoi highlighted  the need to help protect women and girls in the country.

She spoke on the importance of the girls-led research report which she said will help highlight girls’ priority areas that enhance gender equalities as well as on the protection of girls.

The Minister also narrated her ordeals and  challenges she’d gone through when she was a teenager and explained how she surmounted those challenges.

She said such findings are not new but what is new is the involvement of girls on the research.

‘This report tells a lots of living testimonies  on the girls themselves. a testimonies and finding as government and human rights organizations  should take  into considerations’ she asserted.

She urged all organisations working to end gender-based violence to step up and use the research report for propagating issues of women and girls.

Other speakers from different organisations made salient statements regarding the girls-led research and called for action on the findings.