The commitment was made last week when a delegation from the University of The Gambia Students’ Union (UTGSU) paid a courtesy visit to the NGBV office to explore opportunities for stronger collaboration in combating gender-based violence and promoting awareness among students and the wider community.
Led by UTGSU Vice President Adam Ndow, the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the students’ leadership and the Network as preparations for Students’ Week gather momentum.
Discussions centred on several areas of potential collaboration, including the provision of resource persons for Gender Day, support for community and school outreach programmes, distribution of gender-based violence awareness materials and the organisation of capacity-building programmes for students.
The National Coordinator of the NGBV, Fallu Sowe, received the student delegation and welcomed the initiative, describing the visit as an important step towards strengthening partnerships in the fight against gender-based violence.
Sowe commended the UTGSU leadership for its commitment to promoting a safe, respectful and inclusive environment within the university community.
He assured the students of the Network’s readiness to support Students’ Week activities, particularly through the provision of resource persons and facilitators for awareness and capacity-building sessions.
The NGBV also committed to providing T-shirts and other awareness materials to help enhance the visibility and impact of activities planned for the week.
The collaboration is expected to provide an important platform for students to engage in discussions on gender-based violence, its prevention, reporting mechanisms and the role young people can play in creating safer learning environments.
The students expressed their appreciation to the NGBV for its willingness to support the initiative, describing the Network’s contribution as valuable to the success of Students’ Week.
The UTGSU further reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the NGBV to promote gender equality, prevent violence and strengthen awareness among students.
The partnership comes at a time when institutions and youth organisations continue to place greater emphasis on engaging young people in efforts to prevent gender-based violence and build safer and more inclusive communities.
Through the planned activities, both institutions hope to use Students’ Week as an opportunity to educate, empower and encourage students to become active participants in the prevention of gender-based violence on campus and beyond.
