Announcements
Learn the story behind Lady Ellen Women's Aid Foundation — from Ellen Pauline Kise's vision to our official establishment in 2014 and the impact we've made since.
The Lady Ellen Women's Aid Foundation was founded in 2008 and officially established in 2014, in memory of Ellen Pauline Kise — a Norwegian humanitarian born in 1947 in Hjuksebø, southern Norway, who from 1987 to 2005 worked with relief and development aid organisations in Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Chad.
Ellen witnessed the devastating conditions facing women and children in Sierra Leone — poverty, domestic violence, lack of access to justice, and deep-rooted gender inequality. During her battle with cancer, the idea of establishing a foundation in her memory to continue her mission was initiated to her. She gave it her blessing, and LEWAF was born — a national non-governmental organization with a mandate to tackle violence against women and girls in homes and communities across Sierra Leone.
Our Registration and Recognition
LEWAF is registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs (MSWGCA) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED), and is a full member of the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (SLANGO).
Our Reach
Operating from our Head Office in Freetown and three field offices in Waterloo, Moyamba, and Mokonde/Njala, LEWAF serves some of the most marginalized, deprived, and remote communities in Sierra Leone. Our geographic focus is intentional — we go where the need is greatest and where women's voices are least heard.
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