By Abdul Rahman Bah
The Center for Gender and Social Justice (CGSJ) is set to lead another major public awareness walk in Freetown aimed at promoting mental health, addressing gender-based violence and encouraging safer and healthier communities.
The walk is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Congo Cross ’n Kallon Car Park, with members of the public expected to participate in a collective campaign focused on mental wellbeing, social justice and violence prevention.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Janisa Edwina Francess Momodu Esq., Executive Director of the Center for Gender and Social Justice, an organisation that advocates for gender equality, access to justice, women’s rights and protection of vulnerable groups in Sierra Leone.
The event builds on last year’s mental health awareness and advocacy walk, which brought together community members, activists, students, health workers and other stakeholders to raise awareness about mental wellbeing and the impact of gender-based violence.
Under its broader programmes, CGSJ works on mental health and counselling, legal aid, gender-based violence prevention, gender equality, education and leadership, and economic empowerment.
The upcoming walk is therefore expected to provide an opportunity for participants to openly discuss mental health challenges while challenging the stigma that often prevents people from seeking support. It will also draw attention to the psychological and social consequences of gender-based violence and the need for stronger community support systems.
Momodu has previously emphasised the connection between gender-based violence and mental wellbeing, noting that violence can take psychological and economic forms in addition to physical abuse. The organisation has consequently positioned mental health awareness as an important part of its wider gender-justice and community-protection work.
The campaign is also expected to encourage young people and communities to become more active in preventing violence, supporting survivors and creating environments where women, girls and other vulnerable people can live safely and with dignity.
CGSJ says its broader mission is to create a society in which women, girls and marginalised groups can participate fully and safely, while addressing the systemic challenges that contribute to inequality and violence.
With the message: “For mental health. Against gender-based violence. For safer, healthier communities,” organisers are calling on residents of Freetown to come out in large numbers on November 7 and join the awareness campaign.
The organisers are also encouraging the public to share information about the event widely, with the expectation that this year’s mobilisation will build on the momentum generated by last year’s campaign.
For the Center for Gender and Social Justice, the walk represents more than a public gathering; it is part of an ongoing effort to promote conversations around mental health, strengthen awareness of gender-based violence and encourage communities to take collective responsibility for building safer and more inclusive societies.
