Gathering in Freetown, JNJF convened a special Widows Empowerment Workshop, bringing together chairladies and secretaries from its...

By: Augusta Osmatu Bangura ‎Meet Mathilda Conteh, a 45-year-old market trader at Kroo Town Road Market in Freetown. She’s known for her quick hands, generous smile, and selling cassava and potato leaves, a trade she’s carried on since she was 12. ‎ ‎But before her story, consider this: ‎For many, the rainy season is cozy. It’s warm blankets, the soothing rhythm of raindrops on rooftops, the perfect excuse to rest indoors. ‎ ‎Now, come to Mathilda’s world. ‎For her and countl

By: Augusta Osmatu Bangura She was born in innocence, believing she would be the master of her own life. Little did she know her path had already been carved by tradition. From the moment her tiny hands could grab tin cups for “play cook,” her parents—rather than handing her a pencil to write—offered her something they thought was better: an abackor to cook. When her innocent body began to change—breasts like calabash, hips swelling like cherries—they declared she was n