SCAHMFAD (School of Catering, Hotel Management and Fashion Design) of Latrikunda-German in KMD has won a competition for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in education and confronting youth unemployment in Africa.
UK-based charity Teach A Man To Fish yesterday announced SCAHMFAD country winner for The Gambia of the 2013 Saville Foundation Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education.
The competition, which has awarded organisations from 40 different countries with a total of $57,000 in prizes, is established to reward organisations in Africa that take an innovative, entrepreneurial and sustainable approach to education.
Over 380 different organisations from across Africa, from Sudan to South Africa, Nigeria to Namibia and Burkina Faso to Burundi, took part in the competition.
“All the evidence shows that programs which are innovative, sustainable … are the most effective way to address educational challenges. This competition draws international attention to organisations’ achievements so others can learn from their success and imitate their approach,” commented Nik Kafka, Director of Teach a Man To Fish.
SCAHMFAD will be awarded $1,000 as the winning organisation in The Gambia.
SCAHMFAD, founded in 2006 by technical and vocational teachers, provides skills training for early school leavers, young adults without jobs, housewives needing skills training in areas that help support families, and even for career changers.
Curricula cover skills, bookkeeping and marketing. Rather than look for jobs, SCAHMFAD graduates make opportunities to create jobs in their areas of training.
Alex Benneh, a founder and SCAHMFAD Executive Director, exclaimed: “Thanks, first and foremost to God, Almighty – without Whom nothing is possible. We profusely thank The Gambia’s Leadership for creating and sustaining an environment and attitude for entrepreneurship.
“SCHAMFAD can’t exist without parents, patrons and instructors whom we thank. Particularly we extol our students – we highlighted 3 in our Teach A Man To Fish entry: Kassi Sanyang, whose successful restaurant is at the Kotu Elton petrol station; Liberian refugee Alice Kpan owns a successful tailoring shop near Tipper Garage; and career-changer Aminata Drammeh, a student moving fields from market-selling into fast-food shop ownership.”
SCAHMFAD is leading the way in entrepreneurship in education in The Gambia with their innovative and sustainable approach that impacts the people in their community.
