Post-prison Support for 300 Women in Sierra Leone

At the age of 22, Amina, a mother of two children was on trial for murder and was held at the Freetown Female Correctional Center for close to two years. Amina was later found innocent. On the day she was released, she was welcomed by Mansaray and Joy, the President and Vice President of the Go Bifo Women Association - a group that AdvocAid helped to found which supports women that have experienced incarceration. 

Mansaray and Joy accompanied Amina to her relative’s home to reunite her with her children and during her stay there, they endeavored to visit her and support her in reintegration journey back into the community. Shortly after her release, Amina got a job at a salon, but as the pay was small she also engaged in commercial sex work. A few months later, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the country leaving many people including Amina jobless. 

With the country experiencing lockdowns and night curfews, Amina decided to risk it and continue with the commercial sex work as this was the only way for her to earn a living to support herself and her children. Unfortunately, one night she got arrested by a police officer and for her release, she had to pay the police officer the money she had worked for that night in addition to providing him with free sexual services.  

After Amina was released, she reached out to Joy and told her of what had happened and how embarassed she was to engage in commercial sex work and that she was afraid she will get arrested again if she does not get alternative work. Joy provided comfort to Amina and encouraged her to attend the Go Bifo Women Association meetings where formerly incarcerated women support each other and build solidarity amongst themselves.

The association meetings take place in one of the homes of any of the members. Food and drinks are brought and shared. The women members share updates of what has happened to them in that month, and if they faced any challenge, how they managed to approach it. Because most of them had managed to rebuild their lives, Amina believed that this would be the same for her.  

In 2022, Amina got a job at a salon as a hairdresser and was so excited to tell everyone about it. She loves her job so much and whenever she gets time, she reminds AdvocAid staff and Go Bifo Women members to pass by the salon to get their hair and nails done. At the salon, she enjoys braiding, styling and weaving and is also excited to learn how to do manicure and pedicure as this will increase her employability at her current job and anywhere else she may want to go to. 

However, Amina believes that she would be happier at her workplace if she did not feel like she was carrying a burden as she has had to keep her past a secret from her employer. She believes that if her employer and co-workers found out, she would be stigmatized and most likely lose her job. Amina does not want people in her community to know about her past either. Amina believes that if AdvocAid could do more outreach in the community to end stigma against incarcerated women, then their rehabilitation and reintegration would be made easier. 

For Amina getting this job means that she does not have to engage in sex work and be subjected to violence from men. Amina appreciates the effort that AdvocAid undertakes to train women at the correctional center as this prepares them for life after prison and the support and solidarity she has gotten from Go Bifo Women. She believes that with more skilling opportunities and more job attachments, women like her will not have to engage in work that they do not take pride in. Amina believes that her journey should be a testimony to other women like her.

For AdvocAid to fulfill Amina’s wish, AdvocAid’s post prison support system has to be strengthened and this can mainly be achieved through the donations each one of you makes towards this project. Your funds mean we can continue to provide to women, increase their self-reliance, and boost their confidence. Thank you.

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