Girls Shall Rise [GSR]: Mariatu Tarawalie

Mariatu Tarawalie ran away from home to stay with a friend who unknown to her was a sex worker. She eventually joined her friend, got pregnant, and was abused afterward.

She hails from Pate Bana community Bombali Shebora chiefdom, Bombali district northern Sierra Leone moved to Makeni with an aunt after losing both of her parents.

In Makeni, she was faced with schooling and engaging in petty trading for the aunt with whom she was living, and at some point, it became overwhelming for her.

She ran off to the streets with a friend and there she met pregnancy and abuse from the man who was responsible. The man is also on the run, leaving her with a baby to take care of.

Searching for opportunities to better her life and that of her baby, she came in contact with the Bright Light Projects’ Girls Shall Rise Program aimed at empowering vulnerable girls and women.

After a joint vulnerability assessment with the Ministry Of Social Welfare in 2019, she was selected as one of the beneficiaries of the project and since then has been enrolled at the Young Lady For Vocational Skill Training at the Sierra Leone opportunity industrialization center SLOIC