Peagie Woobay Scholarship Fund

Khadi Mansaray messaged me a couple of months ago asking me if i would 'donate' some of my poems to the Peagie Woobay scholarship fund for girls. I in all my haste, digested scholarship, girls, Sierra Leone, quickly scanning the website and gave her 3 pieces. To be honest i usually don't like giving my poetry out because i am still processing them, re working, un working and then leaving them to become until i am ready to publish. Khadi got to me though, anything that caters to supporting women gets my full support and so see my surprise when i get invited to a book launch for the Peagie Woobay Scholarship Fund, only to find myself amongst other passionate Sierra Leoneans. It all felt random- Peagie is energetic, Khadi is committed and together they merge their passion for the written word and advocacy for teenage pregnancy reduction. 

Here is why i felt this event was important beyond raising funds to support young mothers get back to school.... Peagie is open about her story - becoming a mother at age 15 in Sierra Leone- she talks about her short comings, she talks about her turbulent relationship with her son, she takes responsibility for her actions, she is unapologetic for who she is and then she channels her own story, her own struggles, her own shortcomings, her own weaknesses into strength & gives back. We need more of the non cinderella stories from Sierra Leonean women. I am tired of how so many of us here act like 'things just happened to us' by luck or chance and that we are all things PERFECT. We aren't. We are human - women, flawed and flawed some more, however it is what we do with all our flaws that make us bloom! Teenage pregnancy i find has two faces in Sierra Leone, a death sentence and/or a fashion statement. We need to address the underlying causes, complicate the stories and lead by action.

Ya know?

To support Peagie Woobay, visit the website. 

fambul dem, this is how we do...

Peagie Woobay

The compilation of Poetry

Kadi Mansaray