For over a decade Ms. Sall, an expert in adolescent girls’ rights, has designed and implemented novel programs aimed at empowering, protecting and transforming the lives of adolescent girls. She has made an impact in incredibly challenging environments in Africa, including Rwanda and Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone she devised a plan to effectively provide much-needed aid to overlooked adolescent girls during the 2015 Ebola outbreak and the 2017 Freetown floods. Her work has attracted the attention of some of the world’s most respected organizations including the International Rescue Committee, Population Services International and Irish Aid. She is slated to join the US-based organization, The Global Fund for Women, as its Program Director for Adolescent Girls’ Rights.
Ms. Sall has done vitally important work for several renowned human rights organizations.
In her role as an Adolescent Girls Specialist at the highly successful Nike Foundation/DFID-sponsored Girl Hub (2013-2015) and as a Program Manager with the Population Services International (2010-2013) both in Rwanda, Ms. Sall significantly contributed to the enormous expansion of the “12+ program.” The 12+ program is an innovative adolescent girls’ program aimed at delaying adolescent girls’ sexual activity and increasing contraceptive use once needed. Under Ms. Sall’s guidance, the program reached more than 100,000 girls, across all 30 districts of Rwanda, an unprecedented success. Her perseverance and leadership in that endeavor reflects her uncanny ability to plan strategically, mobilize resources, manage programs and research complex novel issues.
Without a doubt it was her unique insights and dedication that provided the secret sauce that resulted in the successful scale-up of the 12+ program. Her model in the pilot phase was so successful that it continues to be implemented. Today it is used by other programs in numerous other countries.
Some believe that during the most challenging circumstances, the very best emerges. In 2015, during the massive Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Ms. Sall moved from the relative safety of Rwanda to work for the International Rescue Committee as an Adolescent Girls Protection and Empowerment Specialist in Sierra Leone. Specifically, she worked with adolescent girl survivors of gender-based violence and the Ebola virus disease (EVD). As a result of her work, Ms. Sall was invited by the prestigious Sierra Leone (Salone) Adolescent Girls Network to serve as a member and technical specialist, and later was elected to its steering committee. During her time in Sierra Leone, Ms. Sall recognized the devastating impact of EVD on vulnerable adolescent girls. She was instrumental in obtaining much-needed grants to promote solidarity and leadership for women and girls in Sierra Leone.
“The Ebola outbreak had devastating effects on the lives of Sierra Leoneans. During the emergency, adolescent girls were disproportionally and tragically affected. Many girls had lost their families, schools were shut, and many girls were at risk of sexual exploitation and violence. They needed the opportunity to meet in safe spaces and share whatever they were going through. They needed psychosocial support,” Ms. Sall recalls.
Aissata Sall is well-regarded in Africa and beyond for her impactful work in creating a Community of Practice (CoP). CoP is a coalition of organizations and individual experts dedicated to eradicating violence against women and girls. This CoP included national and international NGOs, UN agencies, the donor community, and advocates and experts working to address gender-based violence specifically, violence against women and girls. In fact, in August 2017, the CoP she created, worked closely with the government of Sierra Leone to provide an emergency response to victims of gender-based violence during the mudslides and floods that caused hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands of people in Freetown.
Ms. Sall has Played a Leading Role in Obtaining Grants of Worthy Causes
Over the years Ms. Sall has developed relationships with some of the world’s most distinguished aid organizations. Her expertise, dedication and reputation as being a straight shooter who maximizes every bit of grant money has been instrumental in the awarding of local and international grants – including a recent €1 million+ grant from Irish Aid.
Furthermore, she has played a key role in the awarding of grants from numerous respected women’s international philanthropic institutions.
As a leading expert in the field of promoting adolescent girls’ rights, Ms. Sall regularly participates as a panelist at numerous professional conferences and technical meetings in Rwanda (Fourth Partnership Forum on HIV and AIDS), Benin (Population Council), Ethiopia (Population Council – Adolescent Girls Learning Circle), and the USA (Population Council’s event at the Commission on the Status of Women).
Ms. Sall has been toiling in the field for more than a decade. In 2008, the Government of Rwanda’s cabinet recognized her ability to improve the lives of adolescent girls by appointing her to the Ministry of Youth. The World Bank invited her to be a member of the Steering Committee of its Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI), an interventionist program that promotes the ‘transition of adolescent girls from school to productive employment’. While there, she provided the AGI Steering Committee guidance that allowed adolescent girls to realize their full potential at a particularly critical period.
Ms. Sall is an ardent advocate for adolescent girls in Africa and Beyond
“I have always had a strong belief that I could bring positive change to the lives of adolescent girls. They face a myriad of challenges as they navigate this stage of life. Child marriage, teenage pregnancies, dropping out of school, sexual abuse, HIV and STIs are some of the considerable risks that increase girls’ vulnerabilities. Evidence indicates the importance of investing in girls in their early adolescence and the need to address discriminatory gender norms, attitudes and practices that perpetuate girls’ vulnerabilities,” Ms. Sall says.
Despite these challenges, Ms. Sall believes that if given the right platform to build their life-skills, to believe in themselves and to raise their voices, young girls can become real agents of change.
“I will continue to be a champion for adolescent girls’ rights. I truly believe that they have a voice and need to be listened to so my work going forward is to provide them with that platform and push for their rights,” says Ms. Sall.
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Aissata Sall has changed the landscape for adolescent girls in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. In her next role as a Director with the Global Fund for Women, she will be poised to have an increased impact in improving the lives and futures for many generations. She also serves as an excellent role-model for our daughters and all girls and women.
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