The initiative attracted 20 communities, who are part of the Tostan’s intervention sites in region. The NGO since its establishment in 1991, has been working to empower communities in their efforts to bring about positive social transformation and sustainable development through a holistic empowering education programmes.
Welcoming the gathering, Mamadou Waan, Alkalo of Changai Toro expressed delight in hosting such an important gathering in his community.
He also thanked the NGO for their intervention and promoting human rights among rural communities in the country.
Hawa Kasseh, head of the Community Management Committee CMC, thanked Tostan for the numerous development they brought to the village.
She acknowledged that the NGO has spearheaded numerous initiatives in bringing about unity and peaceful co-existence in rural communities.
Haruna Jobe, chairman, Village Development Committee, (VDC) also thanked the NGO for what he called making the work of VDC very simple with the establishment of the community management committee.
He added that has helped them a lot in ameliorating the VDC's effort to bring sustainable development.
‘At first, we thought the CMC was created to serve as a rival or to undermine the VDC, but after seeing the work of the CMC, we realized that it's the opposite.’
To that end, he expressed his VDC’s resolve to continue working with the CMC to bring about the desired development to the village.
For his part, Edrissa Keita, National Coordinator of Tostan-The Gambia, spoke of the NGO’s desire to expand it interventions in the remaining communities in the region in the near future.
He thus advised the beneficiary communities to take the programme seriously so that other communities can benefit as well.
Keita equally thanked all the supervisors and facilitators for their foresight, further encouraging them to continue to work towards more community development.
Whilst urging young people to make best use of the programme and participate in their sessions regularly, Keita also calls for concerted efforts to get everyone on board.
Ousman Jarju, a public health officer in the area, highlighted the importance of personal hygiene in rural communities, something he said, would help minimise the spread of diseases and other harmful effects on people especially women and children.
He, thus, applauded Tostan for its wonderful interventions in empowering rural communities, saying they are making the work of health care workers very easy.
Therefore, he called on parents to prioritise their children’s education and always desist from forcing their girl-child to marry early, as he put, ‘it has a negative impact on the wellbeing and health of the girl-child.’
The event also witnessed drama play on child labour and the importance of education staged by the CMC of Changai Toro.
