2003 Press Releases

Lumpa Women’s Development Association Launching

September 29, 2003

Freetown, Sierra Leone
Contact: DCM Larry Andre
Tel: 226481 ext.: 298/167

The Lumpa Women’s Development Association, is one of the many grassroots organizations that the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help (SSH) program is assisting. Over the past years, members of this organization have been trying to regenerate skills training and income generating activities for women in distress, without materials and equipment as all were destroyed during the war.

Thus, the SSH program funded a development project for the Lumpa Women’s Development Association.  The project includes creating a building to be used for training women in skills development initiatives which include gara tie dying, tailoring/dress making, soap making and bread baking.

With the assistance of the SSH grant, the building, with an office and training rooms for each skills training, has been completed. The SSH grant provided roofing materials, windows and doors, paint and plaster for the walls of the building, and gara ink, brillion, caustic soda, sewing machines and accessories of backing flour, tables and pans for the various skills training.

On October 2, 2003, Ambassador Chaveas will launch the “Skills Training/Income generating for Women in Distress” project and unveil the new project building at Lumpa. Such a project will make the Lumpa women more self-reliant thus improving their socio-economic status and assist them to make more meaningful contributions to their community.