ActionAid devoted to fight injustice - Ag AATG Director

Lamin Barro the Head of Sponsorship and acting Country Director of ActionAid-The Gambia has said that ActionAid-The Gambia is devoted to fight injustice and poverty with a view to creating a world in which every person's right to life and dignity is respected.

Mr Barro was speaking at the closing of a three-day training session on disaster preparedness and management organised by ActionAid-The Gambia (AATG) and Concern Universal. He said poverty is multifaceted, and fighting it needs to take multi-dimensional forms and hence the numerous thematic areas they have in ActionAid to strategize their interventions. One such thematic area, he stated, is the right to human security in conflict and emergencies, which focuses on creating awareness for action to reduce loss of life and property and to reduce economic disruption caused by natural disasters.

Here in the Gambia, Mr. Barro added, it is used to sensitise communities, to build capacity of staff and partners and support local initiatives on disaster preparedness and management.

According to Barro, floods in the Gambia before 2000 were less frequent with less impact on lives, livelihoods and poverty. He added that from 2000 to date, floods have caused havoc in all the regions of the Gambia with severe impact on the lives and livelihoods of people, especially the poor. He said domestic fire incidents and bush-fire are common hazards that have continued to plague human lives and the ecosystem as a whole, while droughts or downpour and windstorms have persistently caused havoc in all the regions of the Gambia, subjecting people to greater hardship and helplessness.

Also speaking at the closing ceremony was Essa Khan, Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). Khan said his agency is looking for more robust partners. He said the training session was conducted in consultation with AATG, GRCS, WFP and Concern Universal, noting that his agency is not only working with their national partners but with other partners outside the Gambia.

He said over the past years, there was significant progress in quality assessment and that his office works with regional co-ordinators to collect tangible data. He urged his co-ordinators to collect relevant data on time for the NDMA, adding that his office believes in partnership and advocacy.