By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
FIFA Foundation Board member, Isha Johansen, through her Fashion for Change Initiative, on March 8, paid court fines and secured the release of nine female inmates across the country.
The initiative also donated the sum of NLe45, 420 to the Female Correctional Centre with the aim of helping boost facilities for the inmates in the facility.
Reading the message from Isha Johansen who is currently not in town, Aminata Adailin Bangura said since she came in contact with the female inmates, she felt a strong sense of purpose, because no one wishes to be in the correctional centre and away from their loved ones but she believes live has a way of taking someone in the right direction.
She said she felt honoured to be part of the stirring female inmates for a better future, adding the celebration of the International Women’s Day is a momentous day in her life as together with her team have been able to secure the release of some of the inmates.
She said they are not only going to ensure the release of more inmates, but they would also be working on empowerment initiatives for those inmates who are in the facility.
Representative of Fashion for Change, Jenneh Amara-Bangali said in September 2022 they designed an initiative called Fashion for Change and the initiative aims at helping female inmates.
She said the initiative is currently constructing facility within the centre that will help train inmates and make them useful in society.
She said the initiative has been able to pay debt and secured the release of nine inmates that were behind bars for not paying their debt.
Deputy Director General at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre, Colonel David Ngaujah, appreciated Isha Johansen and the FIFA community for their help to the Female Correctional Centre.
He said Johansen is one of the few Sierra Leoneans that doesn’t do things by tribe or political party, but does what she thinks good for the country, recalling that she and team first visited the inmates and based on their conversation she almost cried after listening to the different stories of the inmates.
He said after the visit, they donated over five thousand United States Dollars for the construction of the female training centre within the facilities, noting that the second visit, she went along with some FIFA officials including Gelson Fernandes, Director Member Associations Africa and others and made pelages to donate uniforms for female inmates, additional funding and equipment for the training of the inmates.
He said she (Johansen) discussed further plans for reforms of the inmates people that will be proud of after they have completed their jail terms and set free.
Commanding Officer for the Female Correctional Centres Irene Zainab Sesay, said they appreciate what Johansen had done and doing for all female inmates across the country.
She said Johansen has facilitated the construction of a building that is going to be used for leaning the inmates tailoring and others.
