Dagenham, United Kingdom, August, 2026 — The Eastern Region Women’s Network (ERWEN) marked a significant milestone with the formal launch of its United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter at Boothroyd Hall, Castle Green Community Centre in Dagenham.
The event united Sierra Leonean dignitaries, community leaders and supporters for a night of solidarity, celebration and renewed commitment to women’s empowerment. The High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom, H.E. Dr Morie Komba Manyeh and his wife Mrs Marie Manyeh attended the event and formally launched the chapter at 22:22 hours.
Dr Manyeh, who humorously described himself as the archetypal “Three Ks” constituent because of his Kono roots and family connections to Kailahun and Kenema, praised ERWEN for turning sisterhood into tangible community action. The High Commission was also represented by the Deputy High Commissioner, Mrs Yvonne King Odigboh and Head of Chancery, Mrs Christiana Fallah, a leading member of ERWEN. Members and guests of ERWEN, clad in the signature magenta and royal blue of the organisation, celebrated the growth of a movement that started in April 2019 and will be officially launched in Kenema in 2020.
The network is headed nationally by Mrs Isatu Jabbie Kabba and has grown steadily to establish chapters in places such as Bo, Canada and now the United Kingdom and Ireland. ERWEN Vice President, Mrs Hannah Tengbe, said the chapter envisions a region where women and girls are empowered through capacity building, mentoring, education and economic opportunity. “We don’t just talk, we do,” she said, alluding to ERWEN’s tangible interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, flood disaster response and ongoing gender-based violence awareness campaigns.
The organisation has also provided tuition and learning materials for high-achieving underprivileged girls, and support for members experiencing illness, bereavement and hardship. Among the major initiatives showcased during the launch is ERWEN’s flagship project, the construction of a day-care and skills training centre in Kono District, which is expected to commence in September. The facility also seeks to train women in vocational skills that will help them attain economic independence, while providing safe childcare.
Money raised from a raffle to be held in the evening will be donated to this and other ERWEN projects. Guest speakers included renowned journalist Umaru Fofana, who made a strong call for men to join the fight against sexual and gender-based violence and promised his support. The Deputy High Commissioner, Yvonne King Odigboh, toasted to the new chapter and said the goals of ERWEN were in sync with the vision of the President, Julius Maada Bio, for increased participation of women in the public and private sectors.
Also present were Mr K.O Bah of the Sierra Leone Public Service Commission, Ambassador Duwai Sellu Lungay, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission in Addis Abeba, and many members of the Sierra Leonean community. More than a night of dining, music and dancing, the inauguration was a recommitment of ERWEN to translate solidarity into service, and empowerment into real and lasting change, as encapsulated in its motto, “Unite to Empower.”
