If it's been a long and difficult road for Sierra Leone to emerge from the shadows of its decade-long civil war, it's been an even longer journey for Sierra Leonean women to make their voices heard. But now things are changing.
During a recent trip there Christian Aid's Antoinette Powell met women who are not simply speaking out but are beginning to take the lead in building a stronger future for their communities.
Listen to her Podcast report now.
The progress described by Powell has been possible through the work of Christian Aid partners' the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone and the National Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) who are part of the Sierra Leonean coalition, Partners in Conflict Transformation or PICOT.