By Ragan M. Conteh

After 20 Bondo women graduated from bloodless Bondo in Moyamba District, the Executive Secretary, Madam Aminata Koroma and her entourage, paid visit to Madam Yoko’s grave in Moyamba township.

Madam Yoko is known to be the founder of the Bondo Secret society in Sierra Leone, a strong woman that initiated many full grown women.

Speaking at the grave site of Madam Yoko, the Executive Secretary of the Forum Against Harmful Practices  (FAHP), Aminata Koroma said the visit was to pour libation and to give respect to the late, and strong woman of Sierra Leone.

According to Madam  Koroma, through the support of Irish Aid,  forum member organisations praise the foundation to have successfully completed the first Alternative Rite of Passage of girls and women in Moyamba District.

She said the 20 new initiates who had gone through all the Bondo processes except the genital mutilation are women.

She stated that, the ceremony was very colorful and they took the 20 initiates to Madam Yoko grave site in respect of her hard work towards standing for women empowerment in the country.

Madam Koroma maintained that the forum first piloted bloodless Bondo in Moyamba District will go  down in the history of this nation.

She lauded the people of Moyamba for embracing what they believe is a “stress-free bondo” and called for collaborative efforts by all to end FGM in Sierra Leone.

She also assured Soweis and parents of continued support to initiate more women into the safer Bondo for women and girls.

Making his statement on the graduation / exhibition ceremonies, the Paramount Chief of Kayanba Chiefdom, PC Foday Momoh Kulama said the initiation of 20 women in the bloodless Bondo  is a new beginning of a turn around.

He welcomed all the concerned organisations in his district and thanked them for initiating a safer cultural practice in his district.

Chief Kulama said the new culture resonates with the need to end the wicked culture against women and girls.

He pointed out that as Paramount Chief he  strongly supports a culture that will bring women together and other educative platforms.

He pledged to always stand with Praise Foundation and FAHP to empower women in his district.

The head of Sowies in Kaiyamba Chiefdom who handed over the 20 new initiates to the Paramount Chief said all the girls have gone through all the Bondo processes and are now full grown women who can make their decisions.

She said the ceremony was very successful as all the girls never underwent FGM but passed through all the Bondo society ceremonies and could enter any Bondo society bushes across the district.

She thanked Praise Foundation and FAHP for their unwavering commitment to transforming the institution to a unique and unified force.

“Since we began to put Bondo society, this is the best ever, we eat, we have funds and everything is available and it doesn’t cost parents a dime,” she confirmed.

The head of Soweis at Kayanba chiefdom pleaded to FAHP and Praise Foundation to help and continue with the bloodless in the district.

Praise Foundation focal person, Elizabeth Bangura said some of  the 20 graduands are University students, WASSCE and BECE students.

She said they scrutinise them and make sure they are not underage.

She thanked Irish Aid through FAHP for supporting the Foundation to have the first batch of bloodless Bondo ceremony in Moyamba District.

She said the ceremony serve as an eye opener and a direction for women and girls to be empowered in future.

She dilated on the need for more support to have such ceremonies in the not too distant future.

She pledged for more robust activism among women and girls to stopping the retrogressive tradition.

WAVES Project Officer made a statement and the Chiefdom Speaker of Kayanba Chiefdom also lauded the venture and pleaded for more education on the dangers associated to FGM.

The Director of Praise Foundation, Martin Moriwai also expressed his organisation’s commitment to transforming the lives of the vulnerable in the district.

He pointed out that the bloodless Bondo is a testament of his foundation and partners’ relentless efforts to push for safe culture for women and girls.

He also give accolade to all those soweis that participated in the pilot bloodless rite in the district.