Chief Superintendent Zainab Mbalu Gbla of Sierra Leone has been named the Woman Police Officer of the Year for her innovative community engagement initiatives that helped strengthen relations between host communities and the mission while establishing new crime-reporting channels in Abyei, where there is no functional police service.
In an area that had no schools when she arrived, she initiated an educational programme, providing materials and visual aids for teaching disadvantaged children. She also established a mentorship programme for girls. Projects she also initiated to support crop cultivation and livestock sale at the local markets gave the women sustainable sources of income, allowing them to provide for their families and send their children to school in nearby Abyei town.
Currently serving as UNISFA’s Chief Police Training Officer, Ms. Gbla spent her teenage years displaced within her home country of Sierra Leone and later as a refugee in Guinea — experiences that motivated her to enter the police service and to empower women affected, like her, by conflict.
“Having been inspired by seeing the positive impact of the police first hand, including the rebuilding and restructuring of the Sierra Leone Police following years of conflict, Chief Superintendent Gbla embodies the work of the United Nations to improve lives and shape futures,” said Under-Secretary-General Lacroix.
“This award symbolizes the tireless work of the women in uniform who serve under the UN flag,” said Ms. Gbla upon hearing of her award. “Each of us faces unique challenges in our respective missions, yet our collective goal remains the same: to foster peace and protect the vulnerable.”
