Tostan holds URR TAC members seminar

Tostan Gambia in partnership with Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning (MERL) International Office in Dakar, Senegal recently conducted regional and district information sharing seminars for regional Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), District chiefs, National Women Councilors, Ward Councilors, MDFTS and community participants at the Upper River Regional education conference hall in Basse-Mansajang.

The forums were meant to share Tostan’s Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) objectives, strategies, approach and state of implementation of activities with partners in the region to obtain feedback and recommendations from the partners; to map a way forward and enhance programming and performance.

Edrisa Keita, Tostan Gambia national coordinator explained that the seminar is an annual event that aims at sharing information with partners about Tostan Community Empowerment Programme and to share their final evaluation results of the programme implemented in 30 Fula communities in URR from 2014 to 2016.

He divulged that the Tostan strategic engagement plan 2016 to 2022 that covered three key areas of sustainability, impact and scale will be discussed with partners. “The forum demonstrates the spirit of participatory and sustainable development for stakeholders and communities to take ownership of the CEP and also to get feedback from government partners at regional level and communities on the results of the project, lessons learnt and best practices.”

Yadi Nget, regional coordinator of CADO thanked Tostan for their open door policy and sense of sharing all their programme information with their partners and communities over the years. The partners, he said could help Tostan in ensuring that meaningful development work is done and communities take lead role for sustainability.

Deputy Governor of URR Omar Sey spoke at length on the significance of the information seminar meeting, saying Tostan’s great work and contribution in the lives of people and communities in the region is impressive.  “I have no doubt that the resources put into the project have not been wasted in any way.”

Deputy Governor Sey challenged the grassroots NGO to live up to expectation in ensuring that they scale up their programmes to other regions, while urging the participants to fully participate and share the information at their various institutions and at all levels.

Lamin Fatty, MERL focal point shared the final evaluation report of the project implemented from 2014 to 2016. The result areas shared with partners and communities were on governance and human rights, education, health, environment and economic development.