Who We Are and What We Do

Our Work

The Foundation was born out of the determination of our director, Ramatu Karim Sesay, to protect other girls from hardships she had suffered. Through Ramatu's young life, she had to fight for her education and bodily autonomy against threats or FGM, violence and marriage to much older men. In 2019, Ramatu began volunteering to educate local girls about international women's rights and offer support to sufferers of FGM, early marriage and gender-based violence. In 2020, she inspired supporters of her cause in both Sierra Leone and the UK and the Foundation was born.

​

The Ramatu Foundation gained official charitable status in 2020 and has worked tirelessly since to empower women and girls in Makeni, Sierra Leone. We have a volunteer team based in Makeni which visit schools and media broadcasters to raise awareness, as well as distributing support for local girls to gain education (in the form of books, stationary, food, sanitary products and stipends). This team is supported by a volunteer team in the UK that performs fundraising and outreach.

​

Our work takes three main forms:

• Financial and material support for girls to achieve high levels of education. We currently support 40 girls and are continually growing

• Campaigning against gender-based violence including FGM, rape, sexual harassment and early marriage

• Educating local communities and involving them in our mission through community days, broadcast and social media, and school visits

​

We are always looking for volunteers or donations from the UK, Sierra Leone or internationally. Please see our 'Get Involved' tab above or find us on social media.

​