Young people creating spaces for one another in Freetown

WeGrow Initiative is still in its early stages. Kadijatu M Barrie describes it as a community-driven project for young people, especially girls and underserved youth, built around "practical skills, leadership opportunities, and a supportive environment". She is a student at Sky Vision College.

So far, she says, the team has been building the project's identity, engaging young people online and creating awareness of its mission. "Every small step has taught us something about leadership, teamwork, and the importance of listening to the people we want to serve," she says.

“What we refuse to talk about, we make harder to overcome. Let’s break the silence around menstruation, because every girl deserves knowledge, dignity, and confidence in her own body.”

Kadijatu M Barrie

The idea came, she says, from "seeing how many young people around me have potential but lack access to guidance". Change, in her account, "doesn't always start with large organizations". It can start, she says, with young people creating spaces for one another.

Her reason for caring is her own experience. "I've experienced how access to opportunities can change a person's direction," she says. "Programs that invested in me inspired me to invest in others."

She wants WeGrow Initiative to become a place where young people "discover their own ability to lead and create positive change in their communities."