- Advocate. Inspire. Mentorship.
- Advocate. Inspire. Mentorship.
Vision
Mission
Mission
A transformed society where women and girls are fully protected by law: the inclusion of females with disabilities is prioritized and survivors of GBV are supported to heal with dignity.
Mission
Mission
Mission
To end all forms of violence perpetrated against women and girls, particularly sexual and domestic violence, and ensure women with disability (hearing, speech and visual impaired) are included.
HOW SWI CAME ABOUT?
OUR FOUNDER'S STORY IN HER WORDS...
Surviving sexual child abuse at age 8, attempted rape at 18 and partly grew in a domestic violence home, I felt alone and ashamed of my story. Sadly, because my perpetrators are within my close circle, and I was made to believe that I own the responsibility to protect my family name by ensuring my abuse was kept a secret. My first perpetrator threatened to kill me (an eight-year-old child) if I exposed him to anyone, including my parents, by using black magic, as he was a famous traditional man known to practice sorcery. At 18, I did not only survive attempted rape, witnessed endless battering, emotional, physical and domestic violence but also was thrown out of the home the day I stood up against injustice and violence.
Born and raised in a country like Sierra Leone where violence is normalized, females are defined as "wife materials" or "good women" based on the level of tolerance/resilience to accept hurt and pain inflicted by their male counterparts, and women are mostly objectified. The older I get, the more I question the wrongs. In search of answers on the rapid increase of gender-based violence sometimes resulting to death in Sierra Leone, after series of engagement with women and girls in different facets ranging from professional, market, housewives and even in & out of school girls, I realize we have similar stories of pain & trauma yet they are unheard and we lack the necessary services to regain dignity, demystify societal norms, self-blaming and a hub to collectively heal.
In 2015, after a one-on-one talk with a mother and child who was beaten and thrown out by her husband of 9 years at Kent community in Sierra Leone, they accused the little girl of "destroying their home, I knew it was time to utilize my voice as a weapon to end violence against women and girls.
In September 2016, SMART Women's Initiative was birthed to create safe spaces for survivors, including females with disabilities, to access free psychosocial counseling, to heal, collectively strategize to end violence, influence policies, and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
"Amira Catherine Koroma - Founder, SMART Women's Initiative"
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