The Promise Inititiave

16/09/2025

If you have experienced FGM, always remember it was done with the belief that it served a purpose in tradition. But knowledge grows with time. Today, we understand better the harm it causes. Culture is not static; it evolves. We can keep the beauty of our traditions, the respect, the unity, the identity while letting go of the harmful parts like cutting.This is not about donors or foreign influence. It is about truth. Medicine and science has shown us the dangers, and experience has taught us the pain. Goodness does not come with suffering. True culture uplifts, it does not wound. Let us not hide behind tradition for selfish interests. Let us rise, protect our daughters, and shape a culture that brings pride without pain

30/06/2025

Ending FGM is just not about passing laws , it begins with listening to survivors. We listen, we don’t judge. Be a proud Sierra Leonean, and help protect all girls and survivors.

26/06/2025

Draped in white. Faces painted. Feet bare. Eyes lost in silence.

What you’re seeing is not a festival. It is not a celebration. It is the mass initiation of little girls—some barely out of toddlerhood—under the guise of tradition.

They did not choose this.

They do not understand it.

And they have no power to refuse it.

These photos are not cultural pride—they are a mirror. A mirror reflecting a nation that has failed to protect its most vulnerable.

Sierra Leone calls itself democratic, progressive, and a champion of women and girls. Yet here we are in 2025, watching girls as young as three undergo rituals that deny them agency, threaten their dignity, and leave invisible scars that last a lifetime.

No law permits this.
No morality justifies this.
And no child consents to this.

While the Child Rights Bill gathers dust in Parliament…
While Ministries stay silent in the name of “cultural sensitivity”…
While leaders prioritize political capital over child protection…

Our daughters are being led into systems of pain with songs and powder and cloth. And we call it culture.

But let’s be clear: when a tradition demands a child’s body and silence in exchange for acceptance, it is not culture. It is violence.

How can we speak of education, empowerment, and development—when our children are still being broken in secret?

These images should haunt us.

They should move us.

And above all, they should compel us to act.

It is time for every lawmaker, parent, chief, teacher, and citizen to ask:
If this were your daughter—would you still be silent?



We call on our partners SEND - SIERRA LEONE Irish Aid Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs-SL UK in Sierra Leone Trocaire UNFPA Sierra Leone to mobilise for action to protect our young daughters.

07/02/2025

Mariatu is a young girl just like you and she wants to enjoy the beauty of the Bondo culture, joinand watch her in this short animation film as she goes through alternative rites of passage and experiences Bondo like never. Say No More to FGM.

Mariatu like many young girls is afraid of the dangers that exist and this film showcases how with alternative rites of passage, she can be embolden, kept sa...

06/02/2025

Join Mariatu as she navigates alternative rites of passage in her community. On this day of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Ge***al Mutilation, let us all join hands and call for alternative rites of passage, to ensure our girls are protected and safe.

03/02/2025

📢 Commemorating the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM – A Bold Step Forward in Kenema!

As we step into this important week leading up to February 6th, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, the National Young Women in Governance Network Kenema , with the support of SEND Sierra Leone and funding from Irish Aid has launched a district-wide training for Soweis and traditional authorities in Kenema.

This initiative focuses on promoting Alternative Rites of Passage (ARP) as a culturally sensitive way to uphold traditions while eliminating the harmful practice of Female Ge***al Mutilation (FGM).

This week, similar one-day training sessions will be held across all our project districts, engaging traditional leaders in open discussions on how culture can evolve while protecting the rights and well-being of young girls.

🔹 Why ARP?
FGM was is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs, but tradition is not static—it evolves with time. Alternative Rites of Passage provide a meaningful way to celebrate a girl’s transition into womanhood without harm, ensuring that cultural heritage remains intact while promoting human rights.

🔹 What This Training Aims to Achieve:
✅ Engage Soweis and traditional leaders in discussions on ARP as a positive alternative to FGM.
✅ Identify cultural practices that can be retained without harming young girls.
✅ Empower traditional authorities to become champions of change in their communities.
✅ Strengthen collaboration between traditional and modern governance structures to promote safer practices.

Change happens within communities—led by trusted voices. By working with traditional leaders rather than against them, we are fostering sustainable, community-led action toward ending FGM.

🚀 This training is more than just a session—it’s a movement toward redefining cultural norms while preserving identity. Together, we are building a future where girls can grow up safe, empowered, and proud of their heritage—without the risk of FGM.

16/12/2024

We must keep the purpose to educate ourselves to help stop the practice of FGM

07/12/2024

This is Sierra Leone’s chance to have a legacy to have a legacy that empowers tomorrow generation.

06/12/2024

No culture is worth preserving if it mutilates the future of young girls. Let us stand and uphold the health of our young girls and say no to FGM

29/11/2024

It’s time to say NO to FGM!

Every girl deserves to grow up healthy, safe, and free to pursue her dreams. Female Ge***al Mutilation (FGM) robs young girls of their future and must end NOW!

Join us in the fight to and give young girls a chance to thrive. Together, we can protect their rights and empower them to lead brighter, safer lives.

Take a stand today: share this message, educate others, and support efforts to stop this harmful practice.

27/11/2024

We are FREE and our bodies must also be FREE. They cannot be battlegrounds used by politicians to score points from a social class that wish to see us in pain. We must be FREE.

26/11/2024

“Join The Promise Initiative to create a future free from harm, rooted in dignity and empowerment.”