Child
Fund- The Gambia, yesterday presented one thousand bicycles from its
international donors to Gambian students, geared towards improving access and
retention in schools.
Country
director, Musu Kutu Komma said the Dream Bikes would go a long way in promoting
children access to school and their retention in the school system.
She
explained that they are cognizant of the fact that students, particularly girls
are more vulnerable to situations, where they need to move from one community
to another to attend school.
This,
she said, is not the first time Child Fund is giving out Dream Bikes to
children, recalling that sometime last year they also distributed over 1000
bikes to each of their local partner organisations.
“Assessments
conducted by Child Fund before and after those donations showed tremendous
impact, indicating improvements in grades of children that benefited from the
dream the Bikes as well as school attendance.”
Speaking
on behalf of the Child Welfare Agency’s board of directors, Amie Kolleh Mbye
said Child Fund’s support to education cannot be underestimated, saying they
have done a lot in enhancing quality education.
“This
is done to complement efforts of the government and the Ministry of Education
in making sure education is accessible to everybody.”
The
beneficiary students, she said will be monitored and sensitised for proper
usage of the bikes, saying when it comes to the girls, safety is very key.
A
representative of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School also thanked Child
Fund for their invaluable contribution and support to students especially in
the rural areas.
He
said the bicycles will improve student’s attendance and punctuality and achieve
the objective they are all yearning for.
On
behalf of the children, Jainaba Jallow thanked Child Fund for the gesture,
expressing optimism that the new bicycles will promote access to education and
timely arrival in schools.
Out
of the total, 250 bikes were given to Sama Kairo Federation, 250 to Foni
Dinding Federation, 250 to Dinding Yeriwa Federation and 250 to selected
committees in Lower River Region, where they have been expanding through their
sponsorship program.
