03/08/2026
"A child should be a child." — Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Sierra Leone
This International Women's Day, we're sharing a story that stopped us in our tracks.
The woman you'll meet in this video is Sierra Leone's Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs. She's fighting to end child marriage at a national level.
But before all of that? She was a staff member at CAUSE Canada.
Her journey is a full-circle moment, and the heartbeat behind our newest program, EmpowerHer.
Here's why this work is so urgent:
- 30% of young women in Sierra Leone are married before their 18th birthday
- In rural areas, that number climbs to 41.8%. Among the poorest families, 44%.
- Girls without access to education face child marriage at nearly 2.5x the rate of educated girls
- Pregnancy‑related complications are the leading cause of death globally for adolescent girls
Progress is real. The law has changed. But actions take longer, and that's exactly where EmpowerHer steps in. Alongside girls, families, and community leaders, we're building the conditions where every girl can grow up, stay in school, and step into her own future.
Read her full story here: https://www.cause.ca/2026/03/06/internationalwomensday/
This International Women’s Day, CAUSE Canada launches EmpowerHER – and the story of one woman shows exactly why this work matters. There’s a particular kind of moment in development work that stops you in your tracks. Not a statistic, not a report, but a person. A life that quietly embod...