About Us

Domestic Helpers Organization (DHO) is now Informal Workers Organisation (IWO) a women-led organization founded in 2015 by Madam Chelcy Alma Aminata Heroe but formerly launched in July 2017.

Domestic Helpers Organization (DHO) is now Informal Workers Organisation (IWO) a women-led organization founded in 2015 by Madam Chelcy Alma Aminata Heroe but formerly launched in July 2017.

The founder was raised by her mother through informal work as domestic worker and as a result experienced abuses but was unable to seek redress. She was deeply concerned about the poor quality of services rendered by informal workers (Domestic workers) on one hand and equally poor working conditions of the workers on the other. In order to address the situation Madam Heroe decided to set up and registered an Organization aimed at strengthening the capacity of persons to be able to deliver efficient and quality services and at the same time possess the ability to negotiate for improved wages and working conditions.

Domestic Helpers Organization is a registered Local Non-Governmental Organization working to promote the rights dignity and welfare of informal workers especially national and migrant domestic workers through advocacy and capacity building to enhance their livelihood and employability.

DHO interventions focus on addressing labour injustice issues relating to Employment within informal sector for vulnerable youth and women in Sierra Leone. Our trainings are also to provide a cadre of informal workers (domestic workers) in order to create a pool of professionals available to work for individuals and institutions that desire quality and efficient services.

Over the years the apparent marginalization and exclusion of informal workers in policy and decision-making process that affects their lives has attracted DHO’s attention. As a result DHO has been engaged in mainstream advocacy for these deprived groups to increase demand for recognition and inclusion from duty bearers.

Due to pile of complaints received by DHO from informal workers in general the Board Management and staff decided to rebrand DHO to Informal Workers Organisation (IWO) in January 2021.

+23278483573 | +23234592801 OR info@informalworkers.org

Success Story from a woman in the male-dominted trades

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Success Story from a woman in the male-dominted trades

Christina K. Mannah a 32-year Keke rider lives at Lumbly- Freetown and single parent with three kids. Her parents couldn’t afford paying her school fees and she dropped out of school in class four but now engaging in riding a keke to sustain her life.  She got interested in the trade during the hard times in her early marriage. Her intention was to become a nurse but find herself riding keke to sustain her livelihood and she is scornful she went for it.

"I love what I do because I can proudly finance my house rent children's bills welfare and purchase some of the assets a woman can boast of having in her house."  She advised her compatriots to engage in skills work through apprenticeship to become financially independent and have a meaningful and sustainable livelihood and refrain from prostitution and other ill- acts in society. She divulges that there are sometimes challenges in the job as a woman like police harassment and gender injustices by the male- counterparts.

She thanked the Informal Workers Organization (IWO) for selecting her as an ambassador and given voice to occupy more space in the male-dominated trades as women have been neglected for a while.