Speaking recently at the launching ceremony of the four-week intensive summer school programme at Brikama Upper Basic School, Abdou Kanteh, programme manager of Nova Scotia Gambia Association said: “This year’s summer school will involve only Gambian tutors and teachers and topics to be presented include English language, communication skills, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, reproductive health, drama, presentation skills, the Ebola virus, bullying and gender-based violence. The theme for this year is ‘Safe Lives Through Health and Water Education’ .We started classes since August 4 and will end on August 29. This will bring together about 100 peer health educators and 20 teacher coordinators from 10 schools within the region. This is also the fifth summer classes to be organised by NSGA in the country.”
Lamin Fatty, project coordinator for NSGA, said his organisation was poised to improve the lives of young people in the country through its vibrant peer health education model. He noted that this model is both for in-school and out-of -school youths and attaches a great importance to the summer programme.
“There is a need for promoting greater involvement of project beneficiaries in the implementation of development projects, particularly the youth, in order to promote project sustainability through ownership. Water and sanitation are paramount to all living beings, yet water is scarce in some areas. We hope the training will strengthen their English language and communication skills. Students are expected to reach out to their peers that are in school and those that are not in school with information during the course of the four weeks intensive classes. NSGA’s motto is ‘Learn and Teach Others’ and the summer classes also create a platform for young people to freely interact and promote a sense of cultural diversity among students. It will help them in making informed choices and decisions on issues affecting the lives of young people. It will also prepare them to become responsible people in society and contribute positively towards national development.”
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