Because of COVID-19, we were not able to travel to Sierra Leone to work with our field team to conduct the participatory data collection, like we have for previous Grow & Know books. Since this was our first time supporting a local field team virtually, we weren’t exactly sure how the process would go. Luckily, our wonderful local team in Sierra Leone were up for the challenge, and they were able to collect incredible stories, and questions from Sierra Leonean youth.
We heard so many interesting stories, insights, and questions from boys and girls. When writing their stories, we asked the youth to include advice they want to give younger boys and girls who haven’t yet reached puberty. Both boys and girls mentioned the fear and confusion they felt at the onset of puberty when their bodies started changing, and they wanted to make sure younger adolescents were more prepared and didn’t feel alone. One boy in Sierra Leone said, “My advice to my younger brothers is they should know this is a stage in life that every boy goes through, so it is normal.”
Many of their stories also included advice that encouraged young people to talk to their parents or another adult they trust during puberty so that they could better understand the body changes they were experiencing. As one girl in Sierra Leone said, “My advice to young girls that are about to start their period is for them to tell someone like their mothers, sisters, aunts, friends or anybody who has gone through that experience so that they can be able to learn much from them.”
To ensure a range of experiences are included in each of the two books, we collected data at 3 different sites, including both rural and urban locations, in Sierra Leone. We are so thankful for our field team, and for the boys and girls who were willing to share their stories and experiences with us about growing up. We are now reviewing the data and developing the content for the two books, so we’ll have more to share with you soon!
