ChildFund
Alumni Association at the weekend concluded a three-day mentorship training for
more than 30 of its members on leadership skills, career development,
entrepreneurship and roles of youth in community development.
The
event, held at the Sanyang Nature Camp in Kombo South in the West Coast Region,
brought together participants from various affiliated federations.
The
capacity-building training, according to the organizers, was meant to
familiarise the entire alumni body and creating ways of how best to give back
to ChildFund for the support they had rendered to them through sponsorship.
In
his welcoming remarks, the chairperson of the Alumni Association, Alasanna
Badjie, highlighted the numerous developments that had been registered since
the inception of the association.
The
alumni association would continue to remain grateful to ChildFund The Gambia
for its intervention in various areas including education and health, he
said.
‘’The primary reason for sanctioning the association is to recommend the efforts of
ChildFund and also giving back certain assistance to the organization which
will be very much helpful to improving
the entire sponsorship area of the organization,” he said.
“We
are here today with pride and successful stories to tell because of the
impactful result ChildFund has done to our lives,’’ he added.
Musukuta
Comma Bah, national director for ChildFund The Gambia, advised the association
members not to always rely on ChildFund for financial assistance in the
execution of their programmes.
She
said other sustainable financial sources have to be harnessed by the
association in making sure that sustainable programmes are always implemented
for the members.
“We
all know finance is a trouble today and ChildFund does entirely depend on
subsidies for the implementation of sponsorship programmes and payment of
salaries,” she said, adding: “It will be prudent enough, when the Alumni
Association find ways of gathering funds from other meaningful sources.”
She
further reminded them of the current global financial hindrances, saying that
would not make ChildFund relent in their support for the association hence
assured them of her open door policy as director of ChildFund Gambia.
Edrisa
Cham, national coordinator of National Organization for Development of Children
and Youth (NODCY), highlighted the numerous developments registered by the new
alumni executives.
He
also challenged them not to relent in their efforts at making sure the
association received its main desire.
The
alumni are not an association of only one person, he said, while advising them
to work as a team in fulfilling their dreams.
The
reason of forming the ChildFund alumni association was mainly to give back
support to the ChildFund to pay back their efforts, Cham explained.
“ChildFund has since its establishment change entirely lives of many needy and deprive
children and most them today are doing
extremely well at their various working
places.‘’
