SI was privileged to take part in the Commonwealth’s ‘Women as Agents of Change’ competition, launched to celebrate the theme of Commonwealth Day 2011. Although we were restricted to only 3 nominations we received many fantastic submissions. This week, we will be running a special blog series to celebrate all the nominations – a fitting close to a month where women have been celebrated across the Commonwealth!

Rose Simbu – Sierra Leone / UK

Rose is from

Sierra Leone. She is a specialist midwife working in

England, often dealing with women immigrants who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and require specialist help in labour and childbirth.  Sometimes they suffer from HIV/Aids and require extra support and care to avoid passing on the infection to their infants. Rose works a lot of overtime so that she can afford to go back to

Sierra Leone twice a year where she helps train young midwives in her home area of Kori chiefdom.  Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is still prevalent in rural areas and Rose spends a great deal of time educating others about the health risks, counselling young girls and encouraging their mothers to resist the pressure to have it performed.

Poverty and illiteracy are ever present in rural areas of

Sierra Leone and Rose has managed to persuade the district chief to allow land to be used by local women to grow vegetables, rice and peanuts.  This has meant that they can now feed their families and have enough left over to sell in the market, for the first time having money in their control. 

Having started with one field and 50 women Rose has now acquired more land so that another 50 women can take part in the project.

Soroptimist
International
Thames
Valley club, of which Rose is an enthusiastic member, supports Rose with medical supplies, horticultural implements and money for seeds.  Single handed, Rose has raised 100 women out of total poverty and given them pride in their project. 

Rose has helped to raise awareness of the dangers of FGM/C and HIV/Aids through education and training. Recognising the plight of local orphans whose parents have died from HIV/Aids Rose also finds funds to send two of them to boarding school where they are educated and cared for.

Her club, who nominated Rose, have this to say: "We are extremely proud of Rose and her enthusiastic, hard working attitude to life.  She is a credit to her country and to the Commonwealth".