Musicman
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A total of 117 Fula and Mandinka communities in the
Upper River Region (URR) openly declared they have abandoned Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM); and early and forced marriage; among other harmful traditional
practices. The declaration ceremony was held at the Basse mini-stadium.
The public declaration was organised under the auspices of Tostan, an NGO that
has been operating in The Gambia since 2006. Tostan works in the area of
non-formal education. The occasion was attended by thousands of people among
them the governor of URR, Tostan national coordinator, chairman of Basse Area
Council, National Assembly member for Jimara District, Tostan regional
coordinators for Kolda and Zigunchor, security chiefs and a cross-section of the
community.
Speaking at the ceremony, Alhaji AF Jallow, a member of the steering committee
applauded Tostan for the great achievement registered in URR since its
inception. He acknowledged that the organisation has brought about positive
changes in the life of the people. He added that the solemn declaration was a
clear indication of Tostan’s unwavering commitment in achieving its mission
and vision. Jallow described FGM, early and forced marriage as things that are
of great concern and need to stop, considering their long-term negative impacts.
He urged the communities to stand by their words, while commending Unicef and
the Gambia government for bringing Tostan to the region. Also addressing the
gathering, Ello Jallow, from the Office of the Vice President noted that the
programme was meant enhance the protection of children’s rights by promoting
community efforts to protect such rights.
He told the gathering that harmful traditional practices are a violation of
human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
Rights of the Child, which The Gambia is a signatory to. He stated that the
promotion of human rights and responsibilities for women and girls are at the
core of the Constitution of the Second Republic under the leadership of
President Jammeh. Jallow went on to express Gambia government’s commitment to
promoting gender equality and women empowerment as key factors to the attainment
of the development agendas of the country.
He acknowledged that Tostan has brought about positive changes in the life of
the people of URR, while expressing his office’s readiness to support the
cause of the organisation. He thanked Unicef for funding the project in The
Gambia, while applauding the communities for finally abandoning the harmful
traditional practices. He also thanked the leadership of Tostan and staff for a
job well done.
For his part, Alhaji Omar Khan, the governor of URR thanked Tostan, The Gambia
government and Unicef for such a tremendous achievement, saying his region
has now graduated from absolute illiteracy to a literate region. The governor
acknowledged that Tostan has done a lot for the people of URR, and urged the
organisation to extend its operations to other regions. He specially thanked
Bakary Tamba, Tostan national coordinator; and Molly Melching, director of
Tostan for Africa based in Dakar, for a job well done.
Bakary Tamba described the event as the biggest ever in the anals of Tostan-Gambia.
He described the declaration as a clear symbol of Tostan’s stance in changing
the lives of the people.
He disclosed that since 2006 Tostan has been conducting training for the
communities in the areas of health and hygiene, democracy, human rights, and
problem solving process, as well as helping them with micro-finance schemes.
Tamba thanked the communities for the déclaration, and further urged them to
stand by their words. He finally thanked the Gambia government and Unicef for
supporting Tostan, noting that a lot have been achieved since 2006.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Salif Jassey of Unicef, Lamin Dibba of
NGOs Affairs and Hammeh Minteh Krubally, the chief of Fulladou East. The
ceremony was punctuated by cultural displays by different cultural troupes from
URR and Senegal. It was moderated by Essa Kanuteh, Tostan supervisor.
Alieu Ceesay