Three winners emerged from each category and each winner received a bicycle. The competition attracted 60 students from Lower Basic, Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools. The competition was held at Nasir Ahmadiyya Muslim Senior Secondary School in Basse.
The students drew ideas about family wellbeing and what types of families they imagine for themselves in the future (size of the family and relationships between them). The drawings were collected and the selected ones would be published in a book that will promote UNFPA.
Mamadou Bah, a student of Koba Kunda Lower Basic School emerged winner in the lower basic schools category; Abdourahman Jallow, a student of Nasir Ahmadiyya Muslim Junior and Senior Secondary School secured the junior category prize, while Sainey Fatty, a student of St George’s Technical Junior and Secondary School topped the senior category.
All 60 students that participated in the drawing competition received learning materials such as notebooks, backpacks and information material on Gender-Based Violence.
The competition is part of the 12-day dubbed “I Am for Zero Campaign” which seeks to promote the realisation of UNFPA’s three transformative results: zero unmet need for family planning; zero preventable maternal death; and zero Gender-Based Violence and harmful practices.
Winners of the Family Planning drawing competition thanked UNFPA for organising the competition as well as rewarding them with bicycles and learning materials.
Ms. Kaddijatou Sidibeh, a teacher at Nasir Ahmadiyyah Junior and Senior Secondary School said awarding participants would serve as a motivation for other students to do well in their respective schools to participate in future competitions.
Ms. Sidibeh, a previous winner herself at grade 9 level, explained that students winning bicycles will ease their hardships of travelling long distances on foot to attend school.
Lamin M. B. Ceesay, education officer at the Regional Education Directorate in region 6 on behalf of his Regional Director, thanked UNFPA for organising such an important competition for students involving adolescent boys and girls to discuss issues that affect them.
The competition, he said, would also provide a platform for participants to share their views and thoughts on such issues.
“The competition will go a long way in contributing to quality education as well as broadening the mindset of students especially on Sexual and Reproductive Health.”
