FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sierra Leone – March 25th, 2024

In light of the devastating impact of the Kush substance on the youth of Sierra Leone, Chozen Generation
Sierra Leone (CGSL) urges immediate action to address the crisis. Recent events, including the burial of 32
young individuals suspected to have succumbed to Kush-related causes, underscore the urgent need for
government intervention. With an estimated 2000 victims in psychiatric facilities and countless more on the
streets, it is imperative that all stakeholders unite to combat this epidemic.

CGSL acknowledges that the true victims of the Kush pandemic are the youth ensnared by its grip, while the
root problem lies with the dealers and profiteers exploiting their vulnerability. Therefore, concerted efforts
must be directed towards disrupting the supply chain and providing comprehensive support for
rehabilitation.

At this critical juncture, the government must demonstrate proactive leadership by declaring the situation
a public health emergency. This declaration should be followed by concrete actions, including the allocation
of resources to bolster the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Collaboration between
authorities and communities is essential to gather intelligence, apprehend dealers, and ensure swift
prosecution.

Moreover, CGSL calls for enhanced support for psychiatric facilities, including adequate facilities, medical
supplies, therapeutic programs, and safety measures. Community engagement is paramount for successful
rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

To those involved in the illicit trade of Kush, CGSL issues a stern condemnation. Your actions are not only
reprehensible but also detrimental to the nation’s development. The suffering inflicted upon families and
communities by this trade is immeasurable, and those complicit will face the consequences of their deeds.

CGSL also appeals to the conscience of citizens, urging an end to stigmatization and the promotion of
empathy towards Kush victims. These individuals are in dire need of assistance and compassion as they
strive to break free from the grip of addiction.

Chozen Generation Sierra Leone is committed to playing its part in combating this crisis. We have already
provided psychosocial support and essential resources to affected individuals, and we call upon other
organizations and institutions to join us in this endeavor.

In the coming days, CGSL will expand its outreach efforts to engage with communities heavily impacted by
the Kush pandemic, including Kroobay, Congo Town, and Lumley.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Abdul Sillah
CHOZEN GENERATION SIERRA LEONE
Address: 82 Pademba Road , F/Town
Phone: +23276250501 +23276576717
Email: admin@chozengenerationsl.org
Website: http://chozengenerationsl.org
Communication Coordinator
+23276619299

Note to Editors:
Chozen Generation is a community of young leaders who are making a difference in Sierra Leone.
Victims of Kush often express a desire to quit but feel trapped by their circumstances.
The Kush pandemic has far-reaching effects on Sierra Leone’s society and economy.
There are reports of children being involved in the Kush trade, although evidence is lacking.

Press Release – Cut the Kush Chain

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CHOZEN GENERATION SIERRA LEONE GETS $10,000 GRANT FOR DIGITAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN SIERRA LEONE

Freetown, Sept. 2^nd, 2021 – Chozen Generation Sierra Leone (CGSL) is excited to announce that it has won a grant of U$D 9,950 from the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) to continue its digital rights advocacy in Sierra Leone in the context of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF). CGSL is one of 13 entities from the continent to secure a grant in the fifth round of the Fund this year.

The organizations will undertake research, capacity building, awareness-raising, advocacy, and stakeholder’s engagement across 25 African countries including Sierra Leone, Algeria, Cameroon, Malawi, South Africa, and Ethiopia

In the next three months, CGSL will focus on strengthening the capacity of journalists, bloggers, and youth activists on digital rights reporting and advocacy in Sierra Leone. The organization will specifically train selected beneficiaries on the recently passed Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act as well as on the Right to Access Information Act, which was passed in 2013, supposedly to promote the public’s right to know within the context of press freedom.

Whilst a growing number of the country’s population is now surfing the internet, Sierra Leone still lacks a law that specifically addresses data privacy and protection. This gap undermines consumer protection and potentially opens the door for data exploitation. In the same vein, the Right to Access Information Act has not resulted in significant improvement in accessing information. The recently passed Cybersecurity Act which is now awaiting presidential assent is an important piece of digital rights legislation. However, a survey by a respected local think-tank revealed that only about 29% of citizens had heard about the proposed law which, among other things, seeks to regulate social media and address some of the challenges with cybersecurity.

This low awareness by citizens of these laws, some of which, critics argue contains provisions that amount to a full-scale crackdown on freedom of expression online is a source of concern. “The lack of awareness by citizens means these laws are largely underutilized or used by rogue officials to suppress citizens” CGSL National Coordinator, Joel Abdulai Kallon said.

It is therefore absolutely necessary to analyze the said law and train journalists and youth activists on some of its major provisions to encourage more engagement and advocacy. Indeed, more public education is still required to ensure that every Sierra Leonean enjoys the benefit of these contemporary legislations.

CHOZEN GENERATION IS A COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SIERRA LEONE THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOUND LEADERSHIP. WE EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION, HARD WORK, INTEGRITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER YOUTHS NATIONWIDE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF RELEVANT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, MENTORING, COACHING, AND NETWORKING SUPPORT.

You can download a pdf copy of this release here: CGSL ADRF Public Notice 922021

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Following months of careful vetting and background checks, eleven new members have been formally incorporated into the ranks of Chozen Generation Sierra Leone. New members subscribed to the oath and appended their names on the CGSL Membership Register last Sunday 6^th June 2021 at the Africell/America Corner in Freetown.

Over thirty young Sierra Leoneans submitted applications for membership The recruitment process started in February 2021. The induction marks the end of the recruitment process.

Welcoming the new members, Joel Abdulai Kallon, National Coordinator of Chozen Generation, said the annual induction of new members is special not just for the CGSL membership, but for the country at large.

He pinpointed that joining the organization is a call to national duty as every Chozen Generation member is expected to make a difference in society.

“At CGSL we aspire to be different, he said. “We want to be different because we are tired of the society in which we live. We are tired of living in a country where young people are reduced to opportunists. To beggers clamoring after politicians for even the most basic things.

“We are tired of a country where there is a lack of belief in talent and skills, where qualities and virtues like excellence hard work no longer matter to young people. We want to build that culture again.

“I am putting it to you ladies and gentlemen that you have a role to play in that regard. Bring energy, positive mind to Chozen Generation. In place of pettiness, Small mindedness, bring excellence and the ability to see beyond the basics.

Mr. Kallon noted that new members are central to the growth and continuation of the Chozen Generation’s ideology. He encouraged them to jealously guard the organization and be particular about their friends and associates.

“In the next five or ten years, this current crop of CGSL leaders might have become too old-fashioned or too out of touch with the leadership realities of the day. That is why it is important that the organization annually attracts and recruits a new group of dynamic, energetic, and firebrand leaders into its fold,” he said.

2020 Ten Most Outstanding Sierra Leoneans Award recipient, Honorable Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, Parliamentarian for constituency 132, who served as the keynote speaker admonished new members to imbibe the organization’s culture of patriotism, hard work, and diligence.

“You are not coming in as inductees today because they told you all the fancy things. Rather, you are coming in as inductees because you believe in the values and principles of the organization and must therefore strive to uphold them. Those values include nationalism, patriotism, and tolerance for diversity.”

Chozen Generation’s Deputy Programs Coordinator, Mr. Ibrahim Bangura moderated the event whilst the programs coordinator briefed the audience and inductees on the history, values, and achievements of the organization. Massah Esther Nyallay Bockarie revealed how the organization transformed her life and have supported her dreams.

This year’s inductees came from diverse backgrounds and they include students, recent graduates, and working professionals.

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THE TEN MOST OUTSTANDING SIERRA LEONEANS IN 2020

Top L-R : Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, Vickie Remoe, Mohamed Buya Turay, Lara Taylor Pearce, Drizilik

Bottom L-R: Zainab Sheriff, David Moinina Sengeh, Staff of Rainbo Initiative, Aiah Lebbie, Sick Pikin Project Volunteers

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CHOZEN GENERATION SIERRA LEONE

Public Notice

The general public is hereby informed that Chozen Generation Sierra Leone (CGSL) organized a fundraising event on the 14th of February 2020.

In the spirit of transparency, the organization wishes to announce that the total revenue from ticket sales for the event was Eighteen Million Seven Hundred and Seventeen , Leones (Le 18,717,000) while the total expenditures incurred was Eleven Million Six Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand Leones (Le 11,687,000).

The net proceeds from the fundraiser is therefore Seven Million and Thirty Thousand Leones (Le 7,030,000).

Part of this cash will be utilized to fund the organization’s ongoing programs and activities including the weekly CGSL Show and the 2019 Ten Most Outstanding Sierra Leonean awards.

Furthermore,  20% of this revenue will go to a charitable cause which we are in discussions to undertake within the coming weeks.

We want to thank all our patrons and supporters for generously contributing to this event, May God bless you all . You are part of the difference we are making.

©️CGSL Communications

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CGSL AWARDS 2018: MUSA AND BHAI RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED AWARDS

Mr. Sesay designed and provided life funding for CGSL’s very first website. Mr. Sesay, a senior citizen who resides in the US, first took interest in CGSL during the National Debating Championship in 2017. He’s been providing regular support to the organization ever since. Mr. Sesay clinched the award shrugging off four other contenders whose contributions  to Chozen Generation Sierra Leone have also been monumental.

In a related development, Musa Mansaray is CGSL Member of The Year 2018.

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CGSL’s Programmes Officer Appointed Women’s Cricket Team Captain: A New Sporting Gem on The Block

Linda Bull, Assistant Programmes Coordinator, Chozen Generation Sierra Leone

Linda Bull

Commonly in our nation (Sierra Leone) when sport is mentioned, what comes to the minds of people are soccer and track events.Howbeit, Sport is any athletic activity that uses physical and mental skills to exhibit or showcase talents.

Chozen Generation Sierra Leone want to bring the world to an alert of the most recent sporting gem that has been discovered in the West Coast of Africa: She hails from a sporting family with her father Mr John M.S. Bull being her role model, life coach and inspiration.

This pleasant talent started her sporting career in her early teenage years way back in 2008 and had her first appointment as Vice-Captain of Sierra Leone Cricket Women’s National Team in 2010 – what an explicit manifestation of quality!

She made her debut for Sierra Leone in 2010 in the encounter against Kenya in an international cricket competition

in Kampala, Uganda. She is the current captain of the Stadium Stars Female Cricket Club where she has bagged lot of laurels including Most Valuable Player, Man-of-the-Match awards, Best Bowler and many more…

This Gem has successfully sailed home for her club two championship trophies and a runner’s up trophy. She was also in the North-West Africa Cricket Competition (2015) in Banjul, The Gambia where her high level skills slammed her nation the prestigious trophy, grabbing two man-of-the-match awards in the process.

What is most charming about this sardel is her zest for putting her nation on the map using diverse routes. Linda is a Bachler of Arts Degree holder and now pursuing LLB, with her intent to speak for the disadvantaged and most vulnerable. Her taste for success is delicious and her sense of belonging plumpy.

You may also like Joy Jegede:18Year Old With Two Degrees 

A Christian with a firm faith and contrite spirit, she is an executive member of Chozen Generation Sierra Leone, where she gives her all in the office of Assistant Programmes Coordinator. Linda was crucial in the successful organization of the first annual National Debating Championship For Girls 2017.

We are exceedingly glad to introduce this astute young woman, and extend our hearty congratulations to her on her official appointment as the New Captain of the Sierra Leone Women’s National Cricket Team.

Chozen Generation Sierra Leone wishes Miss Linda Nyanje Ngewonya Bull and the Women’s Cricket Team all the best in their upcoming fixtures.

CGSL Communication Desk

Email: enquiries@chozengenerationsl.org

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Godliness, Hard Work And Sheer Genius: The Incredible Story Of Oluwagbemileke Joy Jegede

Written by Joel Abdulai Kallon

joelabdulaikallon@chozengenerationsl.org

03/05/17

Background

Oluwagbemileke Joy Jegede

We have all always had one awe-inspiring story that we considered an old-wives fable: simply too-good-to-be-true. A story of a fourteen year old girl skipping almost eight years of schooling and graduating with two degrees bagging distinctions in both, all before her nineteenth birthday is an extremely impossible story to believe.  That happening in a small West African country, where the legal age for admission into the university is eighteen, and where getting admission into universities and colleges at eighteen is considered no mean achievement only adds to the air of intrigue and incredulousness.

Exemplary Parenting

But that is exactly the story of nineteen year old Oluwagbemeleke Joy Jegede who was born in Nigeria but grew up in Sierra Leone. O, Joy, as she is fondly called, was born on 1^st March, 1998 in the buzzing business district of Ikeja, in the Nigerian commercial city of Lagos to middle class Christian professional parents, Mrs. Olubunmi Olanrewaju Jegede and Mr. Olusola Peter Jegede. The father, a Chartered Accountant decided to quit his secular job and move with the whole family to Sierra Leone after discovering that God had ‘called’ him to serve as an independent Christian missionary with a focus on young people. Joy was four at the time

The Jegedes can be rightly described as a small, unrepentantly ambitious, unyieldingly religious and supremely disciplined family where excellence and high performance are exalted. The only other thing more exalted than the continuous yearning for excellence through a rigorous reading culture is God. The family projects deep Christian values where Christ is at the core of every facet of family life including schooling.

Humility, Courtesy and Discipline

When I met O. Joy at my office for an interview on her most recent academic exploits which had been making the rounds on Social media recently, she looked every bit like a church girl who is out on the street looking for lost souls. She was clad in a simple but beautiful ,gold blouse and a dark coloured pencil-skirt which projected below her knees to match. She wore natural braids and had no necklace, no ear rings, nose rings.The only jewellery she had was a beautiful silver and gold plated lady’s wrist watch. Her black, soft-leather, flat-heeled moccasin gave her the perfect look of simplicity and a nun-like innocence.

As the first of three daughters, O.Joy is the fore-runner, trendsetter and trail blazer for her younger siblings and indeed many other young people she has had an encounter with, who understandably look up to her for inspiration. And it is a role she has played immaculately well. Her two younger sisters aged sixteen and fourteen are already in SS4 and SS2 respectively.

Time Is Money

Joy arrived at my office at 08:22 am Sierra Leonean time, about twenty minutes late for our eight O’clock appointment. She had called at about 07:45 to inform me that she would be showing up late, profusely apologizing for it. When she showed up, she did not stop apologizing for arriving late right through the interview. That was a most gracious display of courtesy that is not very common in our society.

It is normal for someone with whom you have an appointment to show up an hour late and offer excuses, not apologies. That is if you are lucky. If you are not lucky, you could sit there for three hours on end and your appointee not showing up at all. Again, if you are lucky, they would call you afterward to proffer excuses, not apologies: The typical Sierra Leonean black-man-time mentality that almost all of us are accustomed to.

The Ultimate Pacesetter

But Joy is not a lady who conforms to a patterned way of life – particularly when such patterns do

not add anything to her quest for excellence and perfection. Nothing about this child prodigy suggests mediocrity. She was just nine when she took the National Primary School Examinations and got an aggregate score of three hundred and fifty-four. At that age most pupils are still in class three, learning how to count, read and write.

At twelve, she took the Basic Education Certificate Examinations, a regional examination taken in many English-speaking West African countries that signifies the attainment of basic education and heralds the beginning of pre-university years. Outstanding as always, Joy got an aggregate of seven, one more than the maximum attainable perfect score of six.

It was barely after completing her Basic Education Certificate Examinations that her parents jokingly asked if she would like to attempt the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations as a private pupil when she got to SS1. Joy, who described herself as always being a high achiever did not take that joke lightly. As a matter of fact, Joy saw a challenge where her parents meant an ordinary joke. Even by their own very high standards, Mr and Mrs. Jegede knew that asking their twelve year old daughter to take the WASSCE in SS1 was a very daring thing to do.

Daring?

According to the education authorities here in Sierra Leone, it would take on average four years to complete the WASSCE syllabus in preparation for the examinations which determine whether one will proceed to the University, a Poly-technic or simply end up as a drop-out. In 2012, a Commission of Inquiry on education had recommended that the number of years required to complete senior secondary school be increased from three to four as a measure to address the rampant failures in the WASSCE examination.

Joy attempted the August/September 2011 examination nonetheless and got a distinction so that by December 2011, barefly a couple of months into SS2, she had already effectively secured a University requirement to study Law. By December 2012, she had received a letter of admission to the historic Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. By that same period, many of her classmates were bracing up to resume school, almost two years away from taking the WASSCE in SS4.

Two Degrees Simultaneously While Still A Teenager

She started classes, taking all her notes with a laptop, at Fourah Bay College as the youngest pupil ever admitted to the Law Department according to available records; She was looking forward to her fifteenth birthday at the time: A remarkable feat by every stretch of the imagination. But who says we must be content with one when can go on and have two?

At about the same time Joy got admission from the University of Sierra Leone, she received another admission letter from Amity University in India to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration, a three-year  distance learning programme. This was sheer coincidence and a golden opportunity which the teenager could not afford to let pass.

She told me she had merely applied to Amity as a backup plan in case she did not get admitted at Fourah Bay College because of her age. The college has, what many critics say, is a very backward age restriction requirement policy of eighteen for admission into an undergraduate program. But the good old adage “where there is a will, there is a way” found expression in her situation. When asked how she was able to circumvent the age-requirement limitations, the child prodigy remarked that even though she did not solicit any help -directly or otherwise-from anyone in the University concerning her admission, she thought there were still a few progressive minds in  the system who must have looked beyond her age.

Among The World’s Brightest and Best

Four years down the line, Oluwagbemileke had firmly written her name in the annals of history as perhaps the youngest graduate of Law in the history of Fourah Bay College, but certainly the youngest student from Sierra Leone to bag two degrees, from two fields that are as varying as they can possible be. Even by available world records, Joy ranks very very highly. For instance, the second youngest black law graduate from Harvard Cortlan Wickliff was 22.

A Zimbabwean, Maud Chifamba, was listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa in 2012. She also received the Great Young Achievers Award at the Great Women Awards held in Dubai as well as the Panel Choice Award at the Zimbabwe International Women’s Awards in 2014. Like Joy,she graduated from the University of Zimbabwe at the age of 18 with a Bachelor of Accountancy Honors Degree. Joy however added a second, with a distinction by that same age.

Creating A Balance

Now many child prodigies like Joy usually turn out to be reclusive, twenty-four hour-a day bibliophiles or geeks if you like, who show no awareness for a healthy social lifestyle. But Joy is different. At the university, she actively engaged in the extra-curricular activities of the day: representing the department in debating competitions and even serving as the elected Secretary General of the Fourah Bay College Law Society.

Additionally, Miss Jegede was crucial in the establishment of the campus-based ZEM fellowship, an off-shoot of her parents’ youth-based evangelical ministry. Joy’s knack for leadership and voluntarism is further expressed in the hours she and her friends spend, organizing remedial classes in English Language and Mathematics for pupils in under-resourced secondary schools in Freetown.

Joy attributes much of her desire and passion to invest in people to something she learned from her parents. Her other major interests are music and photography. On relationships, the now nineteen year old Joy says she has never had a boyfriend and that she does not see the need at this stage.

Celebrating brilliance:Showcasing The Africa The World Does Not Always See

The story of the soft spoken, well-mannered and polite Joy Oluwagbemileke Jegede, who hopes to subsequently get a post-graduate degree in Development Law and Policy and a Ph.D. afterwards, is one of the many great images of Africa which the rest of the world does not always get to see. It is the view of this Author that until we Africans begin to tell our own positive stories, the world will only have the grim ones to feed on.

The author Joel Abdulai Kallon is the Founder and National Coordinator of Chozen Generation Sierra Leone, a Christian youth empowerment organization that focuses on the development of strong values and morals through mentorship, personal development and capacity building, for effective transformational leadership.

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Sierra Leone News: 15 yrs. old school boy rescued after gruesome accident

The 15 year old school boy whose gruesome accident photos went viral on social media recently has been rescued with a successful operation by Doctors at the Emergency Hospital at Goderich West of Freetown.
Emmanuel Kamanda was rushed to the hospital where his right tibia and fibula had been badly damaged in the accident therefore Doctors had to amputate the affected leg.
He has already been discharged from the hospital. A humanitarian organization Chozen Generation Sierra Leone recently visited Emmanuel at his Patton Street residence to follow up on his recovery process after the amputation.
When the team arrived at the small flat where Emmanuel lives with his grandparent, they found him lying in an old couch in a corner of the barely lit parlor.

He looked distraught, much like someone who was learning to start life afresh. Emmanuel is a brave young man. Despite his ordeal, he exudes a great deal of self-confidence and hope.
He spoke about his love for football, Christiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid; and about how he had played football with his friends the evening before the accident.
He also spoke about his dream of completing university and becoming a CEO in a “big ba

nk”.
Responding, his grandma thanked Chozen Generation Sierra Leone for the gifts and requested that the organization provides ongoing mentorship to Emmanuel – a request the organization immediately granted and wished him a speedy recovery and all the best for the future.
The occasion was climaxed by a small donation of food items and cash to Emmanuel’s family for the welfare of the school boy.
By Saidu Bah
Tuesday October 04, 2016

First published on: Awoko Newspaper

Note

The above piece and its content are the sole views of Awoko Newspaper. Since our visit to Emmanuel Kamanda went viral, dozens of Sierra Leoneans, at home and abroad have shown support to him and his family including Sierra Leone’s Minister of Social Welfare, Dr. Sylvia Blyden who visited Emmanuel. Emmanuel has been recovering steadily and has since returned to school.

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