The Church’s Strengthening Families Conference a Success in Sierra Leone

The Strengthening Families Conference (SFC) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an annual event sponsored and organized by The Church in West Africa, was held on June 26th and 27th, 2025 at the Bintumani International Convention Center in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The theme of this year’s event was “Building Stronger Families within Communities Through Women Empowerment and Child Protection.”

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OVERVIEW OF THE SFC

This year’s SFC, the seventh edition, was a two-day event organized in conjunction with the office of the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone. As with previous SFCs, the purpose of this year’s event was to promote measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society. Through keynote addresses, presentations, and panel discussions, it broached topics such as family unity, moral values, and community responsibilities in preserving the dignity of the institution. Musical performances interspersed the presentations, while vendor booths provided visitors with information and products from different services.

Although rooted in teachings of the Church, the conference brought together experts and leaders from various religions, countries, and backgrounds to address global as well as West African cultural issues, offering practical as well as spiritual solutions. This year, over 1500 participants attended the conference in person, while tens of thousands across the world enjoyed the proceedings virtually through streaming technology.

Participation of the Office of the First Lady was valuable in promoting the conference as her personal initiatives of women empowerment and child protection dovetailed seamlessly with the theme of the conference. Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio has had multiple interactions with the Church, including visiting Church Headquarters in Salt lake City in 2024, and her hosting Elder D. Todd Christorfferson in her home in 2025. Since these visits, the relationship between her Excellency and the Church has continued to be strong, and her attendance at, and participation throughout the conference, helped establish this year’s SFC as an event of national pride.

BOOTHS

As with the SFCs from previous years, this year’s conference was preceded with opportunities for visitors to browse vendor booths outside the main hall. Some of these booths revolved around Church-oriented themes including Family Search, BYU-Pathway, YSA Gathering Place, Seminary and Institute, Welfare and Self Reliance, Church History, and more.

Worldwide organizations such as Family Watch International and Engage Now Africa had booths, while other local Christian and Muslim booths displayed items ranging from marriage and parenting books to modest clothing to African-made attire and jewelry. There was hand-on computer experience at some booths, free samples with information flyers and brochures at most booths, and some even had candy for the kids. Conference attendees thronged the booths enthusiastically while waiting for the conference to begin.

THE CONFERENCE

Day One Highlights

Day one of the conference opened with two national celebrities, Phebean Swill and Khadison Duwai, teaming up to serve as Masters of Ceremonies. Following the singing of the national anthem and an opening prayer by a local stake president, Elder Kenneth Pambu, an Area Seventy, greeted the audience on behalf of the Church and introduced the theme saying, “We know that when women play a key role in families' lives, we empower them and they are also empowered. We help our whole societies move forward. Equally, every child deserves to grow up in a safe and caring home, a place where they are respected, their dreams are encouraged, and their rights are protected. The theme for this year's conference is built from these ideas.”

Following that introduction, the Honorable Paramount Chief Sheku Amadu Tejan Fsuluku-Sonsiama III, chairman of the National Council of Paramount Chiefs, told the audience, “As a parent and a traditional leader, the issue of strengthening the family unit, which is the theme of this conference, is of great importance to me. It is critically important not only in the well-being of our people, but also for the progress of our country.”

Archbishop Adward Tamba Sharles, Archbishiop of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Freetown and the President of Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone, highlighted several challenges that families face, including the influence of social media, the shift from a community-centered culture, the “negative effects of the current gender ideologies and lifestyles,” and more. He concluded his remarks by saying “we need to address those factors that are undermining, and in some cases destroying, marriage and family life. It is my hope that this conference would come up with strong recommendations in favor of strengthening families and preparing youth and young adults to be good husbands and wives in the future.”

Elder Isaac K. Morrison of the Seventy and Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency, focused his remarks on empowering women and, referencing the Family Proclamation to the World, explained that the role of mothers is a sacred trust. He then pointed to Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Her life, honored throughout scripture, exemplifies the divine worth and strength of women” After looking at the key principles her life illustrates, he summarized saying “when women are spiritually strong, homes and even nations become places of peace and safety. As nurturers and teachers, women bring hope, guidance, and stability to their families and communities.”

Elder Morrison then paid tribute to his wife, Hannah, who served alongside him as Misison leaders in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission, highlighting her leadership in working with missionaries from over 27 different nationalities, creating meaningful connections across diverse cultures, and held that up as an example of “the true power women hold to lead, to uplift, and to transform communities.”

The Guest of Honor, Madame Bio, talked about empowering women and noted that “empowerment is not charity, it is justice.” In tying that theme to the theme of child protection and overall strengthening families, she noted, “Empowered women are often the fiercest protectors of children. Strong families anchored in respect, equity, and love are the most resilient against poverty, violence, and neglect, so as we gather today, let us make this more than just a conference. Let us make it a call, a call to fund women-led initiatives, a call to legislate with children in mind, a call to build communities where no girl is silent and no child is unseen. I am so grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for choosing me to be a partner for this year’s Strengthening Families Conference.”

Day Two Highlights

While the first day of the conference focused on empowering women, the second day focused on the theme of protecting children. Panel discussions and speakers from organizations such as Engage Now Africa, Family Watch International, and Esteem, pointed to the dangers that children face now from sexual exploitation and abuse, and even from initiatives such as the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Aganda being promoted in many schools and communities, initiatives which are actually harming children and their understanding of divine precepts of chastity, modesty, and the sacred relationship between men and women.

In his keynote address, Elder Alfred Kyungu of the Seventy and President of the Africa West Area of the Church, focused his remarks on protecting children within the environs of their own home, where severe corporal punishment is often employed as a tool for disciplining children. Explaining that physical and psychological abuse are tied together in these approaches to discipline, he advocated for a more Christ-like approach that actually protects children rather than harming them. Acknowledging that the scripture in Proverbs 13:24, is commonly summarized in the saying “spare the rod, spoil the child, ” he clarified: “Many people interpret that as license to impose discipline and beat children with a stick. But let’s understand what this really means.

"In biblical times, a rod, or more precisely a shepherd’s rod, was not a weapon—it was a tool of guidance. The shepherd used it not to beat the sheep, but to gently steer them, protect them from danger, and keep them safely on the path. The rod was a symbol of care and direction, not aggression.

“'Sparing the rod,' then, can be understood as neglecting to guide or correct a child at all as opposed to failing to administer physical punishment. In this light, the focus of discipline is on active, loving involvement. It becomes less about control and more about intentional teaching and consistent boundaries.”

Following his remarks on child discipline, Elder Kyungu then addressed more sinister types of abuse that include child molestation, abandonment, child slavery and more, and tying it all into the overall theme of the conference, he announced that the Church will be building a safe house in the community of Kono, Sierra Leone, where sexual violence in Sierra Leone is at its greatest. The safe house will be a 54 bed facililty with dining areas, a kitchen and a store room. The project is expected to be completed in eight months, after which it will be handed over to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Gender to manage and ensure its sustainability. A safe house has been a dream of her Excellency Madame Bio for some time, and she expressed that the Church’s engagement in the project is a dream come true for her. The announcement also drew great and extended applause from the audience.

Following those remarks, Elder Kyungy presented the First Lady with a beautiful sculpture of the family in recognition for her remarkable work in promoting family values in Sierra Leone.

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THANK YOU DINNER

As an expression of her deep gratitude, Madame Bio organized a dinner and invited to it the key participants who made the Sierra Leone SFC a success. As she addressed her dinner guests, she acknowledged that tied to the conference there have already been naysayers and detractors who have criticized both the Church and her for her involvement with it. She then declared that the Church has her full support, is welcomed back any time, and vowed to take up the battle against that negativity. The invited guests enjoyed an evening of good food, a cultural celebration, and time spent building relationships with government officials, NGO leaders, and others who attended.

EIGHTH EDITION OF SFC

As a vehicle for teaching the divine nature of the family, of sharing the light of Christ, and of helping people understand God's plan of happiness through strong families, the annual SFC will continue to be presented across the various countries of the Africa West Area. The torch for the next Strengthening Families Conference was passed to representatives of Liberia, who graciously accepted it and in whose country it will be held in June of 2026.