Fatima Maada Bio
First Lady, Madam Fatima Maada Bio is motivated by pan- Africanist ideals and she is a strong believer in women empowerment as key to sustainable development . Born on November 27th 1980 in Sierra Leone, she pursued her passion for women empowerment as First Lady by staging a peaceful protest against gender based violence. It was a historic march, for the first time in history, First Ladies from different African Countries came together in unity and joined the peaceful protest march on the streets of Freetown in December 2018. This was the beginning of her very powerful campaigned themed “Hands Off Our Girls”. Born into the madingo tribal circle, she knew who her husband would be at age 10. She narrowly escaped Child marriage and started philanthropic work at a very tender age of 16. Her Excellency, started her education at the Ansarul Islamic School in Kono, where she did her primary education and part of her Secondary schooling. She later joined the Saint Joseph convent in Freetown (Capital City) for her GCSE studies. She later relocated to London after her escape from the child marriage plot. In London she pursued her passion and thirst for charity work. Her personal story is her main motivation and she has traveled the world providing support to vulnerable children, especially in Africa. She has Bachelors of Art degrees in Performing Art from the Roehampton Institute of London and in Journalism from the University of Arts, London College of Communication. Worth noting about Sierra Leone’s illustrious first lady is the niche she has garnered for herself through hard-work over the years in the entertainment industry in which she was an actress, Script Writer, executive producer and a multi award winning face of Nollywood industry. Among her barrage of prominent features in cinema is the ‘Mirror Boy’, which she played the lead character and the movie ‘Battered’ which concept is based on Gender Based Violence. Battered was written and produced by her.
First Lady Maada Bio has received several awards including; 1. Honoured with the Warrior Award at the International Women of Power Luncheon in California, U.S.A. for her bravery and outstanding contribution towards women and girls in Sierra Leone. 2. Honoured as one of the most influential people of African descent under 40 in New York, United States. 3. Miss Africa in 2000 4. “Best Supporting Actress” for the movie Mirror Boy 5. In 2011 “Best Actress Award” from the Black Ethnics, Fashion and Film 6. In September 2013, Mrs Fatima Jabbe-Bio was voted the best female First Lady Maada Bio launched one of the most powerful Women’s empowerment campaign called “Hands Off Our Girls” in December 2018. History was made, when First Ladies from across Africa joined the peaceful protest March against Gender Based Violence on the streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was a clear simple message “Hands Off Our Girls”. The effective “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign ultimately led to the President, H. E. Rtd Brig. Julius Maada Bio’s declaration of a National Emergency on Rape and Sexual Violence in Sierra Leone on the 7th Feb 2019, and subsequent revision of the sexual offences act in September 2019. Internationally, the First Lady has taken #HandsOffOurGirls to Canada; during the “Women Deliver Conference, The BBC London and The Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. Very recently, President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, launched #HandsOffOurGirls campaign at a High Level meeting on the margin of the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on the 25th of September 20019 at St. Regis New York. In line with the UN sustainable development goals, the Hands off our Girls session in New York focused on “ Advancing campaign on the reduction of Early Marriage and Rape in Africa for the promotion of human capital development”.Statements were delivered by important global personalities such as Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation; Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina, President of African Development Bank, Mr Dereje Wordofa – UNFPA Deputy Executive Director; Mr Ziad Dalloul, Founder of Africell; Her Excellency Mrs Clar M. Weah, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia and Her Excellency Mrs Emine Erdogan, First Lady of Turkey. The declaration by First Ladies in Africa supporting the campaign was read by H. E. Madam Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady of Rwanda. Other First Ladies in attendance were Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Niger, Chad, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Sierra Leone First Lady personally took the Campaign to 14 of the 16 districts in Sierra Leone during the National roll-out of the campaign. Her Excellency’s fight against Cancer, she has taken internationally. She secured the funding of several doctors to study oncology from the Merck foundation. She also hosted the most awareness raising commemoration of World Cancer Day in West Africa on the 4th of February 2019. She used the Cancer Day commemoration to present to the government and the world, the model for an International Medical Centre. Her vision is to have the most advanced medical centre in the world in Sierra Leone, that will serve the MANO river union, with international affiliation agreements with some of best teaching hospitals in the world. December 14 2019, she launched the Free Sanitary pads initiative for school girls in Sierra Leone, to compliment the governments free quality education initiative. Beside her battery of laurels, First Lady Fatima Bio won the Gathering of African Best (GAB) Awards for her exceptional contribution to promoting a positive image of Africans around the world. This is important because her determination to build and motivate in every area goes beyond the shores of Sierra Leone. Her prowess and strategy was noticed by the nation during the 2018 elections in Sierra leone where she took a pro-active role. She was able to broker peace easily amongst warring parties. Her down-to-earth communication skills was not only due to her formal education, but also her affinity with the grassroots. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London in 2018 , the Queen of England was excited to meet with Africa’s newest first Lady. The Queen was impressed with her tenacity in helping to change the perception of the role of women in politics. In line with her husband’s vision, First Lady Bio believes education is key. Her philanthropic character is inborn and she is a fantastic role model that leads by example. Her greatest strength is her ability to achieve any goal she sets. Some say it is divine, but people close to her say it is pure, undiluted hard work, while others insist it is a combination of both divine intervention and hard work. African Union Recognises Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Bio as Champion of Sanitation and Hygiene, Praises Her Hands Off Our Girls Campaign The African Ministers’ Council on Water, AMCOW, has recognised Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Her Excellency Fatima Maada Bio, as African Champion of Sanitation and Hygiene, the third prominent person to be honoured after Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The championship honour is in recognition of her tireless efforts in ensuring that women and girls have access to a clean and safe environment, citing her landmark ‘Hand’s Off Our Girls’ campaign and programmes, which has also commenced a nationwide distribution of free sanitary pads to school-going children. AMCOW was formed in 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, primarily to promote cooperation, security, social and economic development and poverty eradication among member states through the effective management of the continent’s water resources and provision of water supply.
Acting Executive Secretary of AMCOW, Thomas Banda, extended warm fraternal greetings from the secretariat and noted that the status of Africa in terms of water and sanitation was not anything good to write home about. He added that access to adequate water and safe sanitation and hygiene services was still a challenge to many of the over 400 million people of the African continent. “It is in this regard that AMCOW Secretariat initiated efforts to identify, engage and nominate a high-level champion for sanitation and hygiene. The search kept narrowing down until we landed at the profile of Her Excellency, the First Lady of Sierra Leone,” he stated. Mr Banda said they looked forward to working with Madam Fatima Bio to strengthen their advocacy efforts and to ensure that everyone around the continent had access to safely managed sanitation and hygiene, including menstrual health and hygiene services, and towards ending open defecation in Africa.
In her brief acceptance speech, the First Lady said she was positively overwhelmed by the African Union recognition of her work, which she was doing very passionately. She thanked President Bio for not only being her husband but for also being her adviser, mentor and for believing in her as a woman. “I want to say thank you, Your Excellency, for your support. I will succeed only if you continue to give me that support. For Africa to see me and the work I am doing to serve humanity, it is because of the free space you have given me to work,” she noted. Mrs. Bio further said that hygiene and satiation together remained a serious challenge and one she said needed attention. She, therefore, promised to would work with all stakeholders to not only see Sierra Leone become a cleaner and hygienic country, but to also push for a cleaner Africa as a whole. “Thank you very much African Ministers’ Council on Water for this recognition. Thank you, my team, from the Office of the First Lady, for your support. It is because of you that I have the zeal and oxygen to do more work that has led to this achievement,” she concluded. President Bio described the event as particularly significant because it was a ceremony at which a very passionate Sierra Leonean, who had provided leadership for causes that had changed attitudes and life outcomes, was being recognised. “We are especially proud of her extensive work throughout Sierra Leone with ‘Hands Off Our Girls.’ Madam First Lady, as a result of your fervent advocacy for gender empowerment and for the protection of women against sexual and gender-based violence, more girls are now safer in their communities and schools. “More girls persist in school and are not forced into early marriages; more girls have access to menstrual hygiene products; and there is greater recognition of the immense potential of girls in fostering sustainable and inclusive development in Sierra Leone. “Equality, equity, access, and empowerment are suddenly not incidental to how girls see themselves and believe in themselves in Sierra Leone. Congratulations again, Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, Sierra Leone is very proud of this continental recognition of your selfless and committed leadership. Thank you,” he concluded.
THE INTERVIEW: FIRST LADY OF SIERRA LEONE, FATIMA BIO
Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Bio has been combating issues of child marriage and gender violence affecting young girls and women via her ‘Hands off our girls’ campaign. A champion for women’s empowerment, in this interview with Ishara Callan she shares her passion for her work, her mission, challenges that she faces and her advice for the NGO sector. Why did you start the campaign for girls? I have been campaigning since I was a teenager, both in the Gambia, Sierra Leone and even in the UK. At 14, my father had found a groom for me but I was fortunate enough to escape an early marriage. Being the First Lady has given me the opportunity to expand the reach of my campaigns. I have always believed that everyone deserves an enabling environment to be all they can be. I believe in development, and I believe that women are integral to achieving sustainable development. I saw how women were key in rebuilding Sierra Leone after 10 years of civil war. Our women in Sierra Leone are resilient, and with the right enabling environment, they will make Sierra Leone great. What does the campaign aim to achieve? The generic answer will be “Women empowerment” in every area. The campaign has several specific issues we aim to address. 1. Early Marriage 2. Sexual Based Violence, with emphasis on rape. 3. Child trafficking and prostitution 4. Promoting sexual reproductive health education 5. Preventing Mother to child transmission of HIV and AIDs 6. Sustainable and inclusive advocacy for cancer and Fistula. In terms of monitoring achievement, my team has outlined various goals for these different areas. For instance, concerning Rape, we concentrate on advocacy to change the law, and also reorient/change the thinking of the populace. We crossed a milestone when the President of Sierra Leone declared rape a National Emergency on February 2019. Was it well received in the communities? The simple answer is yes. This is because my team invited all Paramount Chiefs and their wives (Most of our Chiefs, have more than 2 wives) to the seminar. We did not invite them to impose our views on them, but for us to have a discourse, and find common ground. It is important to note, our Paramount Chiefs are custodians of our culture, they also want the best for the community. So they are actively involved in developing positive programmes. This makes it easier for these programmes to be adopted because they are “home-grown” programmes. What are the biggest challenges that you faced while kick-starting and running the campaign? [Laughs] My main challenge is finance. My husband always advises me to concentrate on the vision, and the money will come. Red tape while working with some NGO’s is rather annoying. They place too much emphasis on paperwork than the programme In fairness, they say it is to ensure accountability, but with more communication with my office, they realize, my Office is about a delivery, delivery and more delivery. As such, we are finding common ground on which to operate. How long will the campaign run? The strategic plan is for 5 years, with our results being reviewed every year. The reviews will determine the issues we have resolved based on our targets, and the issues to continue with. To answer your question, the duration of the campaign is flexible. What is your message to young girls and women? We are responsible for the development of our community. As women, we face certain restrictions, but this should not stop us from making the desired change. Girls and women are in a better position now; I say take advantage of this. What is your advice to policymakers to make the life of a girl child safe and secure? Policymakers in my country have worked tirelessly to secure our girls. Part of the problem is with enforcing the law. The courts are overwhelmed and our police force requires funding. During the #HandsOffOurGirls campaign, a position note on Sexual Based Violence was submitted to the Attorney General. She is also the first female Attorney General in Sierra Leone. Presently most of the recommendations listed in the position note are being acted upon. What support did you get from other First Ladies? Other First Ladies have been extremely supportive. They are now actively involved in development. We are also aware we face similar issues. Working together we are stronger and more effective. Based on this I was honoured to be elected as a member of the steering committee of OAFLAD (the Organization of African First Ladies for Development). Any other message for the NGO communities? I agree that communication and accountability are important, but some NGOs have a “superiority complex approach”. They impose their programmes in your country. If these NGOs are the ones also providing funding, their superiority complex attitude is worse. Communication means both parties have a discourse and agree on what the community needs. These communities should be actively involved. I cannot emphasise this point enough, you have to know members of the community, interact with them and develop programmes based on findings gathered from the core stakeholders. Part of the issues I have with some NGOs is, they erroneously believe that “Stakeholders’” are the parties that provide the money. I personally believe the people directly impacted by these programmes are the core stakeholders. We have NGOs in my country that have adopted the community-based approach to developing programmes. These programmes have more impact and also respect people. These programmes are geared towards positive long term change, and not criminalising the populace. UNFPA is one of the organisations I am working with and very happy with their modus operandi.
Outstanding achievements
Her Excellency Fatima Maada Bio
First Lady, Madam Fatima Maada Bio is motivated by pan- Africanist ideals and she is a strong believer in women empowerment as key to sustainable development . Born on November 27th 1980 in Sierra Leone, she pursued her passion for women empowerment as First Lady by staging a peaceful protest against gender based violence. It was a historic march, for the first time in history, First Ladies from different African Countries came together in unity and joined the peaceful protest march on the streets of Freetown in December 2018. This was the beginning of her very powerful campaigned themed “Hands Off Our Girls”. Born into the madingo tribal circle, she knew who her husband would be at age 10. She narrowly escaped Child marriage and started philanthropic work at a very tender age of 16. Her Excellency, started her education at the Ansarul Islamic School in Kono, where she did her primary education and part of her Secondary schooling. She later joined the Saint Joseph convent in Freetown (Capital City) for her GCSE studies. She later relocated to London after her escape from the child marriage plot. In London she pursued her passion and thirst for charity work. Her personal story is her main motivation and she has traveled the world providing support to vulnerable children, especially in Africa. She has Bachelors of Art degrees in Performing Art from the Roehampton Institute of London and in Journalism from the University of Arts, London College of Communication. Worth noting about Sierra Leone’s illustrious first lady is the niche she has garnered for herself through hard-work over the years in the entertainment industry in which she was an actress, Script Writer, executive producer and a multi award winning face of Nollywood industry. Among her barrage of prominent features in cinema is the ‘Mirror Boy’, which she played the lead character and the movie ‘Battered’ which concept is based on Gender Based Violence. Battered was written and produced by her. First Lady Maada Bio has received several awards including; 1. Honoured with the Warrior Award at the International Women of Power Luncheon in California, U.S.A. for her bravery and outstanding contribution towards women and girls in Sierra Leone. 2. Honoured as one of the most influential people of African descent under 40 in New York, United States. 3. Miss Africa in 2000 4. “Best Supporting Actress” for the movie Mirror Boy 5. In 2011 “Best Actress Award” from the Black Ethnics, Fashion and Film 6. In September 2013, Mrs Fatima Jabbe-Bio was voted the best female First Lady Maada Bio launched one of the most powerful Women’s empowerment campaign called “Hands Off Our Girls” in December 2018. History was made, when First Ladies from across Africa joined the peaceful protest March against Gender Based Violence on the streets of Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was a clear simple message “Hands Off Our Girls”. The effective “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign ultimately led to the President, H. E. Rtd Brig. Julius Maada Bio’s declaration of a National Emergency on Rape and Sexual Violence in Sierra Leone on the 7th Feb 2019, and subsequent revision of the sexual offences act in September 2019. Internationally, the First Lady has taken #HandsOffOurGirls to Canada; during the “Women Deliver Conference, The BBC London and The Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. Very recently, President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, launched #HandsOffOurGirls campaign at a High Level meeting on the margin of the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on the 25th of September 20019 at St. Regis New York. In line with the UN sustainable development goals, the Hands off our Girls session in New York focused on “ Advancing campaign on the reduction of Early Marriage and Rape in Africa for the promotion of human capital development”.Statements were delivered by important global personalities such as Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation; Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina, President of African Development Bank, Mr Dereje Wordofa – UNFPA Deputy Executive Director; Mr Ziad Dalloul, Founder of Africell; Her Excellency Mrs Clar M. Weah, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia and Her Excellency Mrs Emine Erdogan, First Lady of Turkey. The declaration by First Ladies in Africa supporting the campaign was read by H. E. Madam Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady of Rwanda. Other First Ladies in attendance were Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Niger, Chad, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Sierra Leone First Lady personally took the Campaign to 14 of the 16 districts in Sierra Leone during the National roll-out of the campaign. Her Excellency’s fight against Cancer, she has taken internationally. She secured the funding of several doctors to study oncology from the Merck foundation. She also hosted the most awareness raising commemoration of World Cancer Day in West Africa on the 4th of February 2019. She used the Cancer Day commemoration to present to the government and the world, the model for an International Medical Centre. Her vision is to have the most advanced medical centre in the world in Sierra Leone, that will serve the MANO river union, with international affiliation agreements with some of best teaching hospitals in the world. December 14 2019, she launched the Free Sanitary pads initiative for school girls in Sierra Leone, to compliment the governments free quality education initiative. Beside her battery of laurels, First Lady Fatima Bio won the Gathering of African Best (GAB) Awards for her exceptional contribution to promoting a positive image of Africans around the world. This is important because her determination to build and motivate in every area goes beyond the shores of Sierra Leone. Her prowess and strategy was noticed by the nation during the 2018 elections in Sierra leone where she took a pro-active role. She was able to broker peace easily amongst warring parties. Her down-to-earth communication skills was not only due to her formal education, but also her affinity with the grassroots. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London in 2018 , the Queen of England was excited to meet with Africa’s newest first Lady. The Queen was impressed with her tenacity in helping to change the perception of the role of women in politics. In line with her husband’s vision, First Lady Bio believes education is key. Her philanthropic character is inborn and she is a fantastic role model that leads by example. Her greatest strength is her ability to achieve any goal she sets. Some say it is divine, but people close to her say it is pure, undiluted hard work, while others insist it is a combination of both divine intervention and hard work.
Africa has a champion for Sanitation and Hygiene
The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) has appointed H.E Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone as the Africa Champion for Sanitation and Hygiene. She was unveiled on 26th May 2021 at the State House, Sierra Leone, in presence of the President of Sierra Leone, his entire cabinet and other development partners. In this new role Her Excellency will lead and support advocacy for improving policy and practice towards accelerating access to sanitation and hygiene on the African continent. In his keynote address, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the president of the Republic of Sierra Leone congratulated the First Lady for her appointment noting her work on women empowerment. “Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene especially for women and girls is critical to their wellbeing, domestic needs, reproductive and menstrual health,” he said. “The WASH policies and programmes have not always included the voices and needs of women and girls.” President Bio added that as a country Sierra Leone believes that women should be central to planning, designing, implementing, managing and assessing the impact of water and sanitation interventions. “As a country we are truly proud of how AMCOW is shaping continent wide policies in water, sanitation and hygiene,” the president added. “I look forward to AMCOW Secretariat’s formal launch of the Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG) in June this year.” Mrs Bio is a Pan Africanist with a passion for development issues affecting the continent. She is a strong believer in women empowerment. She has recently launched the Free Sanitary pads initiative for schoolgirls in Sierra Leone, to compliment the government’s free quality education initiative. She has also flagged off the campaign, “Hands Off Our Girls” to raise global awareness on reducing early marriage and rape in Africa. In her acceptance speech, the First Lady said, “hygiene and sanitation are very important (and) am accepting this appointment to serve Sierra Leone and Africa as (a) champion for sanitation and hygiene. I will not only work with one country but with Africa and I look forward to the support of my husband to succeed in this new role.” On his part, the Acting Executive Secretary of AMCOW Mr. Thomas Banda believes this appointment is timely for Africa. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Banda said, “it is our sincere belief that the passion with which the First Lady approaches the ‘Hands off Our girls’ project, her campaign to improve menstrual health and hygiene and her contribution towards ensuring that the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) creates greater impact across the continent will be used to raise the profile of sanitation and hygiene to improve access to the over 700 million Africans who do not have access.” The role of the Africa Champion for Sanitation and Hygiene is honorary support to AMCOW. However, AMCOW has entered a formal agreement with H.E for a period of 4 years from 2021 to 2024.