Kairasu Federation, an affiliate to Child Fund, last weekend trained eleven youths in Kombo South on Livestock Management skills, to capacitise and create more employment opportunities for the Gambian youth.
The three-day training that ran from Friday through Sunday was held at the Federation's office in Jambanjelly in the Southern Kombo District of the Western Region of The Gambia.
Speaking on the occasion, the Federation's Manager Lang Dibba said: "The youth are the cream of our development and everything possible must be done to prepare them for the challenges in the future."
While calling on the participants to cooperate for the interest of the society, Mr Dibba also said the benefits derived from the training will serve as a boost to youth empowerment in the country and improve the image of the federation.
Dibba told the participants they are the first group to be trained by the federation on livestock management; therefore their success or failure may have a positive or negative impact on those coming in after them.
Habib Bah, the Federation's Areal Manager for Kombo South and North, said every society has an obligation to train and nurture its youth to become productive citizens.
"The society has a big role to play in ensuring young person are able to do something for the society in future. But this will never be possible if the society neglects the young and fails to shape them to become productive citizens that can serve the nation," Mr Bah said.
Mariama Sankareh, who deputised for the Kairasu Board chairman, underscored the importance of the training, saying it would help to create employment for the youth and alleviate poverty.
Mrs Sankareh said such a venture would also help to reduce robbery, drug abuse and other vices among the youth.
"Fellow youths, it is definitely a rare opportunity to be selected among the lots to be part of this workshop; therefore, as the saying goes, ‘'To whom much is given, much is expected'," she said. "It is against this background that I challenge you all to use the knowledge and experience gained from this training usefully."
Alieu O. Jabang, spokesperson (PRO) of Kombo South Youth Committee cum board member representing the youth at the Kairasu Federation, said any institution that invest in the youth is taking the right step to capacitise them.
"In doing this, Kairasu Federation is second to none in the country," Mr Jabang noted, thanking the federation for their support to the youth, especially those in Kombo South, and challenging others to emulate them.
Mr Jabang, who is also the president of Gunjur Youth Committee, concluded his speech by saying: "I will challenge my fellow youth to be conscious of the fact that the only thing that the society can do is to pave the way for them but to achieve their dreams and goals lies in their own hands; so we must all work towards it."