The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare (MoGCSW) through the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) recently concluded a two-day orientation for more than 35 members of Multi-Disciplinary Facilitation Teams (MDFTs) drawn from seven regions, in Jarra Soma, Lower River Region.
The orientation prepares teams for verification, validation and enrolment of beneficiaries identified through The Gambia Social Registry under Sub-component 1.4 of the SWEDD+ Project.
Under the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women component, the exercise equips participants with skills to identify and verify eligible beneficiaries, particularly vulnerable out-of-school girls aged 15 to 24.
The aim is to link eligible girls to small grant support, entrepreneurship training and interventions designed to promote economic empowerment and livelihood skills.
The process ensures interventions reach intended beneficiaries through clear eligibility criteria, accurate data and transparent implementation.
Musa Cham, Education Officer at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), said beneficiary data for the SWEDD+ small grants came from the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA). The training will guide MDFTs on community engagement, validation of GAMSR data and identification of eligible beneficiaries using guidelines developed by the World Bank and MoGCSW.
Abdou Saho, representing the Ministry of Health, stressed that social and environmental safeguards are critical to protecting beneficiaries and ensuring success. He urged MDFTs to address grievances promptly through reporting channels, including the toll-free line and safeguards team, and to learn from previous challenges, maintain community trust and prevent gender-based violence.
He charged MDFTs to serve as role models by safeguarding the environment, respecting beneficiaries and upholding the highest standards of conduct.
In her opening statement, Ms Fatou Dampha, Enterprise Development Officer at MoGCSW, said the initiative is in its second phase under SWEDD+ Project. “The WEF Unit is implementing Sub-component 1.4 to economically empower girls aged 15 to 24. In the first phase, 2,060 adolescent girls completed three months intensive entrepreneurship training and are now running businesses.”
Dampha said the orientation will prepare participants for community validation and equip them to handle grievances, adding that the Ministries of Health and Education will supervise field activities.
She underscored the critical role of MDFTs in ensuring beneficiary information is accurately collected, verified and handled confidentially, and urged respectful engagement with households and adherence to procedures.
She thanked participants and noted their responsibilities extend beyond validation to post-monitoring grant recipients to ensure businesses thrive, create employment and meet project objectives.
The orientation covered SWEDD+ objectives, community engagement, household verification, eligibility confirmation, registration procedures and use of the Kobo data collection tool for accurate field data.
Sessions also reflected on lessons from previous validations, implementation challenges, grievance referral mechanisms, data confidentiality, accountability and roles of MDFTs, regional officers and central supervision team.
Participation from all seven regions was highlighted as key to coordination and consistent nationwide implementation.
The validation stressed collaboration with local leaders and community stakeholders to ensure household verification is transparent and impartial.
