GAMCOTRAP Trains Thirty-seven People on Community Based Facilitator
Friday 19th May 2006

As a follow up to the recommendations at a series of training programmes with National Assembly members, religious leaders and chiefs in 2005, The Gambia Cultural on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP) in partnership with Save the Children Sweden Dakar office has completed a three day training of community based facilitators at Jarra Pakalinding in the Lower River Division. The Training, which ended recently, brought together thirty-seven participants from twenty-three communities in The Gambia. These included women, men and Youth community based facilitators.

According to the Programme Co-ordinator of GAMCOTRAP, Mrs Amie Bojang – Sissoho, participants learnt about their role as community based facilitators at their village level, the issues they need to address, communications and community management skills. “They also came up with a plan of action for community sensitization and awareness creation to stop female genital mutilation – FGM, and other harmful traditional practices that affect the rights of the children and women to sexual and reproductive health.”

Mrs Bojang-Sissoho noted that the three days provided the participants opportunity for the CBFs to network and share experiences from their various communities. The process also, she added, has motivated the participants to speak out on the efforts being made to protect their own girl children from FGM and early and forced marriages as role models to the communities.

Some participants she said, had ascertained that FGM has been stopped in their communities and plans are on the way to publicly declare it to the nation.

It was acknowledged that the recent full ratification by the National Assembly of the African protocol on women’s rights, will prevent mobile circumcisers from entering villages that have taken the decision to protect their girl children from FGM, based on the awareness created over the years throughout the country on the effects of harmful practices forced on girls and women in particular.

Alkalo Faraba Kinteh and Imam Njie Kanteh graced the opening ceremony at Pakalinding Lodge.