Kirsty: I was determined to find a way to support two newly pregnant girls I had known from a young age and find an established local organisation who could assist the girls with practical and emotional support. I reached out to numerous organisations both locally and nationally to learn more about current programmes working with expectant and young mothers in the country. Frustratingly I found very few programmes that offered practical support to young mothers. It was thus clear that there were significant gaps in available services and an urgent need for a tailored and holistic programme that could sufficiently address their practical and emotional needs.

I was however apprehensive of setting up a new organisation. Sierra Leone is saturated with NGO’s and I did not want to duplicate efforts or create a programme that was ineffective, unsustainable and potentially would do more harm than good. This led to me spending several months doing intensive desk based research on the topic, as well as reach outs to a large number of organisations and individuals working within the space.

The responses to my enquiries were mixed. Some were helpful, sharing advice and resources. Many went unanswered, while some were skeptical. One prominent UK human rights lawyer working in the country told me that what I was planning to do was a “kneejerk reaction” to the situation, that Sierra Leone did not need another “white saviour” coming to the rescue, that there were already enough organisations doing great work and that within a few years the project would run out of funding and come to a close. It was clear that she had a deep frustration with well meaning “Westerners” coming to the country with the belief that they could “save” it. And truthfully her concerns resonated, and I certainly did not want to be placed within this stereotype.

Her words cut deep and made me pause and reflect on what I was doing. Never a bad thing. I definitely suffer from imposter syndrome and my immediate instinct was to think, “yes, she’s smarter and right.  I’m wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

But one thing I do trust is my gut instinct, and it was telling me not to walk away (my husband’s pet talk also helped!). If there were already enough organisations working on the issue, why could I not find anyone who could offer direct and immediate assistance to these girls? And was it right to walk away from an injustice I had witnessed, when I could play a part in the solution? A conversation with a wise young Sierra Leonean woman, who has extensive experience working with young mothers in the country reminded me that, “these girls want and need support. They will be thrilled to be supported. Helping these girls is not a cliche, they need it and many of them currently do not have anyone to turn to.”

And besides, setting up AdAmi was never a kneejerk reaction to the situation. I know Sierra Leone well, having first set foot in the country 12 years ago in 2006, spending four years living there between 2006-2010 and remaining heavily involved in projects there on a daily basis ever since. I am not going in to this new venture as a naive idealist who thinks I can save the world.

So I persevered, the critics voice at the forefront of my mind. We’ve been cautious in our approach to establishing the AdAmi project, which is why it has taken almost eight months of planning to even get near to beginning our activities in-country. The journey has included conducting an intensive needs assessment with over 100 expectant and young mothers in Bo district, southern Sierra Leone, a site visit in April, extensive research and reach outs to different organisations, the setting up of a UK and Sierra Leone team who have the necessary skills and attributes to make the project a success, intervention planning, setting up a monitoring and evaluation framework, registering as a charity, amongst many other things. Throughout this process we have constantly challenged our assumptions, asked and addressed difficult questions, and strived to be as good as we can be.

But of course, there is also the risk of spending too much time planning, and never get round to the doing part. So, over the coming month we will begin on a very small-scale, initially working with 24 girls, mostly existing mothers, to help them return to school or employment. Key interventions will include a small mentoring programme, family mediation work (many of the girls were shunned and thrown out of their homes by their families on discovering the pregnancies), and the engagement of fathers and men. And scholarships to return to school and/or training to set up a small business. Throughout this process we will be monitoring and assessing the impact of our work, constantly evolving our programme to ensure an effective impact.

Through this blog I look forward to sharing updates from this work, giving honest accounts of not just the successes but also the challenges and failings we will no doubt encounter. It’s a long and daunting journey ahead, but an exciting one nonetheless.

Oh, and in case you are wondering what inspired the name “AdAmi” Project. “AdAmi” is a name mash of the two girls who inspired the project (whose names i will not reveal for confidentiality reasons).