The month of March is generally regarded as the month of women and girls. This is due to the fact that the 8th of March has been set aside by the United Nations as the International Day of Women. This day is commemorated worldwide to honour and celebrate women.
In the Gambia, great progress has been made in ensuring that women and girls have the space they need to grow, to be heard and to contribute their quota to the development of the country. This is manifested in many spheres of public life.
In the area of education, which is arguably the most important, women and girls are doing extremely well. In fact they have shown time and again that women do better than men when it comes to academics if they are given the same chances and opportunities.
Women are into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as has been demonstrated by the launching of the association known as WISTEM, an association which promotes the participation of women and girls in the science subjects.
There is no sector of human endeavor in which women and girls are not seen doing very well indeed. It is becoming clear that the issue is not about completion but collaboration between women and men. Practically, Gambian women are showing that ‘what men can do, women can do’.
In this year’s celebrations, hearts were warmed by the sight of Jaha Dukureh speaking at the United Nations. She addressed and was listened to by world leaders. That is Gambia there. Also Fatou Baldeh was posted and celebrated by no less a person than Barrack Obama, former president of the United States of America.
