By Olimatou Coker
Saama Kairo Federation, a community-based organisation, has graduated 73 young people on entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
The Federation established by an Act of Parliament and registered as a CBO in 2004 works with children and their families in communities within the Kombo Central and Kombo East Districts where poverty continues to be a challenge.
The Child Fund affiliate over the weekend graduates the 73 youths in Brikama after they successfully completed a three months intensive training on entrepreneurship, leadership and counselling.
According to the federation, the training was conducted under its Life Stage Three Initiative which focuses on developing skills of children as a means of creating a lasting impact in the communities they intervene.
The federation finance controller, Fabakary Fadera, said: “As a child and development protection agency, Saama Kairo is inspired and driven by the potential that is characteristic in children; the potential not only to survive, but to thrive to become leaders who bring positive change to those around them.”
Fadera said the federation is established to help needy children with needed capacity to improve their lives.
“The federation operates 3 life stages targeting children and young adolescents. These life stages are; responsive care giving and child nurturing, safe and positive environment for learning and development and youth work readiness and participation respectively,” he said.
The federation, he added, implement programmes such as health, education, nutrition, early childhood care and development, child rights and protection, micro enterprise, life and livelihood skill development and emergency support.
“Our goal is for young people to acquire life and livelihood skills, involved and committed to making positive changes in their families and communities. We also have leadership and good governance training targeting youth at leadership position designed to enhance their participation in decision making at community and national level,” he stated.
Nfamara Dabo, programme and sponsorship director at Child Fund – The Gambia, said the TVET roadmap 2020-2024, has indicated that at least 50% of young Gambians are unemployed.
He said the Child Fund has conducted a monitoring system to identify and understand the issues affecting young people and after the process, it documented that only 20.9 percent of the unemployed youths acquired TVET skills.
“To improve that and bring change to the above-mentioned deficiency, Child Fund decided to look for ways to help the youths of the country realise their potential and become what they want to be in the future. We want to help them acquire life and livelihood skills to be change drivers in their respective communities.
To make this work, we have already put out a plan targeting over 3000 youths who will be trained on skills,” he said.
