The
Ambassador of the European Union to The Gambia on Tuesday 16th August handed
over a vehicle, office furniture and equipment to the Child Protection
Alliance, CPA and the Forum for African Women Educationalists, FAWEGAM at a
brief ceremony held at the ActionAid premises in Kanifing. The materials are
for the implementation of the EU funded project titled “Empowering
Child-focused Organisations to Promote Children’s Rights in LRR, CRR and URR”.
The two organisations are implementing the project under the overall
supervision and management of ActionAid.
In
a brief speech, the Executive Director of ActionAid Omar Badji noted that the
materials presented are meant to strengthen the capacities of partners to
deliver. Badji said most of the people the project is trying to reach are in
the rural areas and without a vehicle, it will be extremely difficult for the
partners to deliver. ‘The resources being presented today are meant to
facilitate the work of the partners for the benefit of the entire country so
that children can grow up in an environment conducive to become good citizens
who will meaningfully contribute to the national development process’, said
Badji. Whilst thanking the EU for the support, Badji urged CPA and FAWE to take
good care of the resources provided as the project is meant for the entire
country, not just for the two organisations.
Ambassador
Lajos expressed happiness at the partners’ commitment to the project and noted
that for the EU, investing in children is investing in the future. ’The better
educated the children are, the more well-off they are, the better the country
will be’, he said. Ambassador Lajos said the set of car keys is not the key to
the solution, but rather a key to a tool which takes them further and closer to
achieve the objectives. He gave assurances of an EU partnership now and in the
future.
Njundu
Drammeh, the Executive Director of CPA received the materials on behalf of the
partners. Njundu stated that the project is a good investment for Gambian
children because countries that are doing well are those that have invested in
their children. He thanked ActionAid for the trust and the European Union for
giving them the tools and resources to implement the project and gave
assurances that they will live up to expectation.
The
project, Empowering Child-focused Organisations to Promote Children’s Rights in
LRR, CRR and URR aims to contribute to gender equity in The Gambia through the
promotion of children’s rights to ensure that their rights and needs are
respected and fulfilled in the 3 regions. It directly targets Children in
schools including those with disabilities, religious/traditional and women
leaders, school authorities, parents, members of women’s groups and child
protection committees, area councilors, media and legal practitioners, law
enforcement agents, female circumcisers/traditional birth attendants, policy
makers and legislators.
