By Abu H. Kargbo
Students from different departments at the University of Makeni have participated in an engaging and effective awareness campaign on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) as part of the 2024-2028 BRAVE Project.
The sensitisation campaign took place on Thursday, January 22, 2026, during the lunch period at the Political Science and International Relations Garden on the Fatima Campus.
Jestina Juana-Jalloh, Gender Officer of the BRAVE Project, indicated that awareness-raising serves as a crucial drive in combating all forms of sexual and gender-based violence at the local and national levels
”Our target is to mitigate SGBV from 39% to at least 10%,” she emphasised.
Jestina mentioned that the project is being implemented across seven districts and ten tertiary institutions in Sierra Leone, in collaboration with various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as the Office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone.
”We’re a united force with no room for compromise,” Jestina added.
She also disclosed the development of an application that is ready for launch to help report incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, ensuring utmost confidentiality for students and the public.
”All we need is to back up your report with evidence without even indicating your name,” she assured.
Mary Hawa Turay, Manager of the Gender and Career Counselling Resource Centre at the University of Makeni, commended SEND SL’s impactful drive and encouraged students to report any forms of abuse.
“It’s only when you speak up that we act up,” she emphasised.
She also implored attendees of the sensitisation campaign to serve as community and peer ambassadors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Mark Morlai Kamara, the Outgoing Minister of Gender, Students’ Representative Council, expressed similar sentiments and encouraged students to leverage the opportunity of reporting sexual gender-based violence to his colleagues peer educators.
”Consider us as your safe space if you find it challenging to reach our lecturers and it’ll be addressed,” he accentuated.
Kamara said that the BRAVE Project has peer educators across all three campuses of the university, including Sylvanus Koroma Campus Yoni, and St John Campus Lunsar.
He further called on students to join them in raising awareness and combating all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
SEND-Sierra Leone’s BRAVE Project is recognised as a timely addition to the growing efforts aimed at addressing long-standing SGBV issues, which create lasting trauma, particularly for women and girls in the country.