News Story

A Seed for Tackling Violence Against Women in Sierra Leone

Tuesday 30 Mar 2021

Dr Lara Piccolo has received a seed funding award from the Royal Academy of Engineering to tackle violence against women in Sierra Leone.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread in Sierra Leone, with almost 70% of women reportedly experiencing violence in their lifetime. The adverse health, social, and psychological consequences of GBV have a severe impact on women and girls’ livelihood and on the broader national development agenda towards Sustainable Development Goals.

With Dr Steven Sam from Brunel University, Dr Soraya Mostefaoui from C&C, and Mr Sylvester Macauley from Mamie Foundation in Sierra Leone, Dr Lara Piccolo will contribute to improving collaboration between the health sector, policy, legal systems and support service providers involved in GBV work. The team will contact key stakeholders to gather evidence and socio-technical requirements to propose an effective digital solution for the country’s vocal support and empowerment.

The seed funding is an outcome of the Frontiers Programme, which held an event on 21st March, gathering 60 people worldwide who connected for several days to build ideas to improve lives utilizing smart technology!