Officials
of the Gambia Family Planning Association have lauded the efforts of women
groups they supported with income generating facilities including horticultural
implements and inputs. They made the commendation during their first quarterly
assessment tour of micro-finance projects they funded under the Trans Gambia
Corridor Bridge project.
The
GFPA has been contracted by the National Road Authority and the African
Development Bank to implement sensitization programs on road safety, the
prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted inflections, as well as
execute women empowerment schemes within the project implementation zone. In
December 2016 the GFPA provided assortment of garden inputs and implements to
“Takuligaye” and “Kanbeng-kafo” women groups in Kunjo village NBR. Kanbeng-kafo
is currently cultivating 1800 beds of onion, tomatoe and cabbage and Takuligaye
1400 beds.
Farafenni
Kanyelleng group and Kumdekai Theatre group in Sankuya LRR were also supported
with soap making implements and inputs, groundnut and fish grinding machines
and dozens of plastic chairs for hire as part of the women empowerment
component of the project. The women groups thanked project officials for the
support citing the benefits they’ve started accruing from their projects. They
noted that the projects have improved their income generation and helps to
promote unity and cooperation among them. However, the women gardeners
complained of storage and marketing constrains.
During
the monitoring and evaluation tour on 25th and 26th 2017, the officials
presented new radio sets to five women groups.
After
consultative meetings with women groups in Bereto and Kerr Ali Village in NBR
and Misira in LRR, project officials are
gearing up to support them with similar income generating facilities.
Speaking
at the forums, the Executive Director of GFPA Yankuba Dibba expressed delight
on the progress made by the beneficiary groups and urged them to strive harder
for greater success. He said the support is a fulfillment of the women
empowerment component of the Trans Gambia Corridor project with a view to
enhance their general welfare. Mr Dibba further disclosed that 10 communities
within the project implementation zone would be provided with radio sets to
enable them follow sensitization programs on road safety, STI prevention,
reproductive health and other issues pertinent to their socio-economic
advancement to be aired on Farafenni Community Radio. A community development
expert Mamanding Kuyateh urged the women groups to work hard to ensure the
sustainability of their various projects. The GFPA Senior Program Officer
Momodou Njie, road safety expert Lang K Konteh and the project coordinator
Abdou Rufa Sanneh made similar comments. The GFPA Area Managers in NBR and LRR
Momodou Lamin Ndure and Jayeh Jamanka, as well as the GFPA focal point in
Farafenni Sainey Dibba urged the groups to remain united.
