Alhagie Babou Jallow
The Gambia Committee on Harmful Traditional Practice Affecting the Health of Women and Children GAMCOTRAP recently sensitized 50 students on promoting political knowledge and participation.
The students were drawn from Brikamaba, Fullabantang and Kudan senior schools, all in the CRR South.
The training took place at Brikamaba Micro Finance Training Centre and was funded by the International Republican Institute, IRI.
Addressing the participants, the acting executive director of GAMCOTRAP Mary Small said the convergence was aimed at sensitizing the adolescent girls in political knowledge and participation. She said the forum will improve and promote political knowledge and participation among adolescent girls in CRR.
She noted that this activity is a continuation of series of activities commenced in 2017 targeting adolescent girls in the schools to understand electoral issues and appreciation of nonviolent participation.
“The project is to enhance awareness and raise consciousness of adolescent girls to realize that civic education is essential to sustain our constitutional democracy which is relatively easy for a society to produce technically competent people; thus the kind of society and government the Gambians want to have requires effort on its citizens,” acting director Small said.
She said Gambians want a government in which human rights are respected, individual dignity is acknowledged, the rule of law is observed, and the common goal is concern for all.
Omar O Jobe of the National Council for Civic Education said NCCE is constitutionally mandated to create sustainable information to the Gambians because there are many people in the country who cannot read the constitution and it was deemed necessary to form a unit which enlightens the public on the constitution.
The Nova Scotia Gambia Association NSGA officer Haruna AI Jallow said the gathering is instrumental in equipping the participants with life skills that would help them to combat challenges in the future. He said the meeting is vital in changing the mindset of the young people in political participation.
AI Jallow called on the participants to practice the skills gained and disseminate the information rightfully to the public.
Fatoumatta Saidy Khan, a participant commended GAMCOTRAP for raising their awareness in political participation.
