OUR PROGRAMS

Working in Sierra Leone, we partner with rural communities to develop sustainable solutions to their most pressing self-identified challenges, such as access to clean water or improving food security. Our programs empower new leaders to address these challenges and create new opportunities for women’s economic advancement. We accomplish our work through three programs - Community Action, Nurturing Opportunities for Women, and Lead. 

 
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Community Action

Development projects by communities, for communities. Community Action guides the communities we work with to identify their most-pressing challenges and to define a shared vision for development. Local volunteers are trained to design, implement, and monitor projects that address their self-defined needs for the entire community.

Learn More about the Community Action Program
 
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Nurturing Opportunities for Women (NOW)

NOW is an entirely picture-based program that empowers participants with financial planning, decision-making, and public speaking skills to enhance gender equity in their communities and households. NOW: Business Skills is a continuation, in which women learn the tools to develop and expand a business, increase profit, and gain the confidence to communicate their business ideas.

learn more about the NOW program
 
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Lead

After completing Community Action and both phases of NOW, volunteer-leaders enhance their leadership and project development skills through the Lead program. Using their training to apply for funding for community development projects, Lead encourages cross-village collaboration and regional advocacy.

Learn more about the lead program
 

Programs Brought to Life

Featured
Mamie's Journey to a Healthier Gbeka
Mamie's Journey to a Healthier Gbeka

Mamie and Gbeka exemplify just how life-changing water and sanitation projects are in rural communities.

I sent my children to school with the learnings from NOW
I sent my children to school with the learnings from NOW

Watta Moriba is a 46-year-old single mother of five who lives in Gbeka. Like many mothers, Watta wanted to educate her children and save for the future. The family’s sole bread winner was her husband. Crisis hit in 2016 when Watta’s husband died, leaving her to fend for herself and her children.

Celebrating International Women’s Day: What Happens When Women Are Involved?
Celebrating International Women’s Day: What Happens When Women Are Involved?

On March 13th, we hosted a town hall with an expert on gender equity and women’s empowerment in Sierra Leone, Bernadette Mustapha, NOW Program Manager

Celebrating Love and Partnership: Reflection on Love Month
Celebrating Love and Partnership: Reflection on Love Month

As February draws to a close, we at OneVillage Partners are filled with gratitude and reflection on the incredible journey we've embarked upon this Love Month. Throughout these past weeks, we've celebrated not just romantic love but the profound connections we share with our partners, supporters, and the communities we serve.

Breaking Molds - How equity centers our work.
Breaking Molds - How equity centers our work.

In Magbema, Jenny, a 65-year-old woman, is working with three other younger women to promote fairness and reduce the inequities of women. Jenny is breaking molds, standing up to men in her community, and paving the way for younger women to have a voice.

Happy New Year - Our 2024 Goals
Happy New Year - Our 2024 Goals

2023 was a significant year for OneVillage Partners, as we focused on implementing our Strategic Initiative and expanding our reach into 3 new communities.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving: 12 Reasons to Celebrate this Holiday Season
The Gift that Keeps on Giving: 12 Reasons to Celebrate this Holiday Season

This year, our communities proved to us the power in partnership.

It’s Never too Late to Dream Again
It’s Never too Late to Dream Again

We met Ms. Hawa in 2022, in Nyandehun, a small community in rural Sierra Leone. By the time we arrived in this community, the women were already eager to learn and grow because in this community, families were broken, women were deep in debt and for Ms. Hawa, it seemed too late ever dream of change. When you meet Ms. Hawa for the first time, you will instantly fall in love with her. She is witty, sharp and so insightful.

Social Cohesion Tackles a Community’s Challenge
Social Cohesion Tackles a Community’s Challenge

Zainab Musa, a participant in the NOW (Nurturing Opportunities for Women) program, lives in the rural community of Bandajuma, Kailahun district of eastern Sierra Leone. With 1410 people, Zainab recalled that the community lacked unity and that its members were unaware of the advantages of saving money and planning

This is what Inclusive Leadership looks like
This is what Inclusive Leadership looks like

One of our most impactful pillars at OneVillage Partners is Inclusive Leadership. We know that when challenges affect a community, it is not a one-man job to bring solution, rather it takes a collective of like-minded and equally passionate individuals to bring about that change – and who better than the community members themselves?