Womankind Worldwide Lifeline


Womankind Worldwide

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Just look at this place. It's idyllic, isn't it?

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But don't be fooled by the scenery.

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In my working life,

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I have travelled to many countries in the world

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but it has been quite a few years since I was in one that had

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such a brutal and tragic recent past

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as this small West African country. Sierra Leone.

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It's clear that everyone here is living with the legacy of

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the devastating civil war that raged in this country

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for more than a decade.

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But I've come here to learn about the particular hardships

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and injustice faced by the women of Sierra Leone.

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Many women here still face violence and discrimination on a daily basis.

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But I'm going to show you what some of the women in this country

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are doing to stand up for themselves and really turn their lives around.

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And I'm going to ask for your help in creating a safer

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and much fairer future for women all over the world.

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During the conflict 12 years ago,

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one particular weapon or was aimed at women - sexual violence.

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And on an appalling scale.

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It is estimated that a quarter of a million women were raped.

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One of those women is Isatu.

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During the war, rebels attacked her village and killed her husband

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and two children right in front of her eyes.

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And that was by no means the end of her ordeal.

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Isatu was held captive by her family's killers for three years

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before she escaped. By then she was pregnant

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and when the child was born she had no-one to turn to.

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But there is a charity which helps women like Isatu who find

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themselves powerless and alone.

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Womankind Worldwide is a UK-based charity that funds local

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organisations that help women who have experienced violence

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and discrimination in developing countries across the world.

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When Isatu was at her lowest point, she met a rape counsellor

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who runs a project funded by Womankind,

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and her life began to turn around.

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Good to see you. Good to see you.

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What did she say to you that made you feel different?

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Do you feel good about yourself now?

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Sierra Leone is now moving on from the legacy of the war

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but violence against women is still all too common.

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And it stems from a lack of basic equality for women.

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The most effective way to get rid of inequality is to empower women

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but, here in Sierra Leone, the odds really are stacked against women.

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It just stops them from enjoying the kind of basic

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and fundamental rights that you and I would take for granted.

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For instance, it is really difficult to get any kind of justice

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if you go to a local police station or the local courts.

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In part because too many men in this country

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still think of women as possessions.

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But I'm about to meet a woman who really did stand up

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for her rights against all the odds and she did it with

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the help of a local project which is supported by Womankind.

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'Fanta was only a child when her parents died in poverty.

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'She was left in the care of her aunt

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'but she wasn't safe there for long.'

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So what happened when you went to live with her?

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A friend brought Fanta to this project where they made her

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aware of her legal rights and convinced the police to intervene.

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She was able to leave her husband

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but bringing up her daughters as a single mother in a society like this

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was always going to be very difficult.

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Again, Womankind was able to help her gain some

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independence by supporting her to train as a tailor.

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Helping individual women like Fanta out of crisis is vital

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but Womankind know that the key to bringing about long-lasting change

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is securing equal access to the justice system.

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In rural areas, justice is administered through

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traditional systems where the local chief holds sway.

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But it tends to mean that women's rights get sidelined a bit.

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So, in another project that is being supported by Womankind,

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they are working WITH the local chiefs,

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they're changing attitudes and ensuring that women get

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a really fair hearing when it comes to settling a dispute.

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This is a community forum that is being held by the local chief.

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With the help of Womankind, he now promotes women's rights

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and allows them to air their grievances.

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One of the women who has learned about her rights

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is grandmother Musu.

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Her elderly husband died leaving Musu vulnerable to other men

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who laid claim to the land that Musu farmed.

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She lost her only means of supporting her children

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and keeping them in school.

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The charity made her aware of her rights

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and helped her to fight the case and win back her land.

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So her large family are now harvesting the crops

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that they rely on.

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What difference has it made your family having this land

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and being able to work it?

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I'm full of admiration for the women I have met here who, like Musu,

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have managed to change their desperate situations for the better,

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against great odds.

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Women who are denied justice and basic rights,

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that's a global problem.

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By donating now, you can ensure that women will be able to

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live in safety without discrimination

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through the many projects that Womankind funds with its partners.

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Not just here in Sierra Leone but all over the world.

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Please go to the website.

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That's where you can donate.

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If you don't have access to the Internet, then call.

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Telephone calls are free from most landlines but some networks

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and mobile operators will charge for these calls.

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You can also donate £10 by texting.

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Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge

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and the whole £10 goes to Womankind Worldwide.

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Full terms and conditions can be found on the website.

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Or, if you would like to post a donation,

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please make your cheque payable to Womankind Worldwide

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and send it to Freepost BBC Lifeline Appeal,

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writing Womankind Worldwide on the back of the envelope.

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And if you want the charity to claim gift aid on your donation,

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please include an e-mail or postal address

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so they can send you a gift aid form.

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Thank you.

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