Last night, I went to one of the engagement ceremonies for my best friend from high school—the presentation and acceptance of the calabash. Her fiancé is from Sierra Leone but he and his... Read more >>

Social workers in Sierra Leone worry that rape has become even more pervasive in peacetime than during the country’s decade-long civil war. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which... Read more >>

At this point, I think it important to say that in Sierra Leone, traditionally women do not participate in any way in this ceremony. The bride’s father, brothers, and uncles speak for her. The... Read more >>

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has finished the construction of a large new safe house for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The building is situated in Liberia’s... Read more >>

Hard to believe that less than seventy years ago, people rarely gave diamond engagement rings. Now it is the gold standard by which a man’s love and the stability of the relationship is based... Read more >>