Fighting Unemployment and Redefining Gender Norms at the Murialdo Institiute in Kissy, Sierra Leone
Originally posted December 12, 2020
Sierra Leone is one of the least developed countries in the world.
One of the biggest challenges currently facing the country is unemployment.
Poor access to education and resources as well as a lack of job opportunities pose huge obstacles to the country’s development, and, out of the working age population, a staggering 60% are unemployed or underemployed, primarily young people.
Since 1991, the Murialdo Institute in Kissy has worked to help reduce the unemployment rate by empowering young adults and providing technical training that prepares them for future careers.
Kissy is a neighborhood on the eastern end of the capital Freetown, and was the first stop on our Faces2Hearts adventure with EuropeAid.
It was the first time my partner Esteban and I had worked on a video project together since the previous summer at training… and the second time we’d worked on a collaborative video… ever.
All things considered, it went surprisingly well.
We were greeted at Murialdo with our project manager from the European Commission and several representatives from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It was a bit intimidating to be in a room with so many notable people, but, ya know what they say - if you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.
Thankfully, I grew to enjoy the intimidation and general “I’m so out of my league feelings” over the next couple of weeks… More on that soon.
Hands on Training
After having an initial meeting with the project heads to discuss Murialdo’s main goals, we went to tour the grounds and meet the students on site.
Students can participate in a number of technical and vocational training programs to prepare them for a variety of occupations. We saw students welding, sewing, building, and even doing hair. We also saw the on site computer lab where residents in the surrounding community can come for free courses teaching basic computer skills.
At the Murialdo Institute, students here learn by doing… but this hands on learning wouldn’t be possible without the proper equipment. Donors like the European Union and GIZ have provided the tools that allow students to practice the skills they need to become safely employed in the future.
Challenging Gender Roles
There are many women enrolled in various programs at Murialdo Institute, but they are typically geared towards vocations like hairdressing or tailoring - “Women’s Work.”
When we visited these two classrooms there was not a single man in sight… (except of course the project managers and Murialdo’s school principal).
Then we visited the technology program, where sparks were flying as students in goggles and protective aprons learned to weld metals together. They were mostly men, but not all of them. One of them was a woman… Aminata.
Aminata is currently the only female student in the mechanical technology program at Murialdo Institute.
She originally enrolled for another program, but after seeing the sparks fly from the workshop, she changed her mind… and her career plans changed direction.
After asking to be involved in this program, Aminata was initially met with some opposition.
“They said, “You are a woman you cannot do it.”
I said, “Yes I can. Just allow me to be part.”
Aminata spoke with the principal at the institute and convinced him to give her a chance. With her firey red hair, ambitious spirit, and contagious smile, I’m sure it wasn’t difficult… and, even if she had been met with more opposition, I highly doubt she would have taken no for an answer.
It was incredibly refreshing to encounter someone so fearlessly blazing her way through such a male dominated field, and I’m so grateful for our meeting that day.
As a woman of color trying to cut it in the male dominated fields of writing, filmmaking, and photography, I often find myself having to convince others of my worth, my skills, and my right to take up space here.
Sometimes, I have to convince myself.
Aminata’s bold and unapologetic attitude reminded me that sometimes, we women just need to get the heck out of our own way. We already know what we’re capable of… we just need to let ourselves do it. Meeting her re-lit a spark in me that I carried for the rest of the trip… and the rest of the year.
After completing her training at Murialdo, Aminata hopes to open her own workshop where she will employ other people from the community.
“I’m encouraging the ladies out there to join me, so we can do excellent things.”
Funding for the Murialdo Institute
The Murialdo Institute is one of many beneficiary schools supported by the European Union’s contributions to the education sector in Sierra Leone. It is funded in partnership with GIZ, a German development agency that provides services in the field of international development cooperation.
GIZ works in Sierra Leone in cooperation with the European Union (EU) and other donors in the following areas to promote employment and agriculture, strengthen the healthcare system, improve resource management, and increase sustainable energy access.
To learn more about GIZ’s projects and programs in Sierra Leone, visit their website or check out the full video from our Murialdo visit below.
