The manual is the outcome of the Organisational Capacity Needs Assessment exercise of 50 youth organizations in Banjul and Kanifing Municipalities, West Coast, North Bank, Central River, and Upper River regions, which was facilitated by GYIN Gambia and funded by UNESCO Dakar through the Peace Building Fund project.
The fieldwork of the assessment, preparation of the report, and the development of the Manual were supported by two consultants of GYIN Gambia, namely Solomon Atibuni and Njundu Drammeh, under the technical assistance and guidance of UNESCO Dakar.
Speaking shortly before the start of the validation workshop, Mamadou Edrisa Njie, Executive Director of GYIN Gambia said the workshop would give the opportunity to selected youth organizations across The Gambia that were engaged during the fieldwork of the assessment, and other stakeholders with experience and expertise in peace and conflict transformation; to review the manual with a view to making sure it is reflective of the situation on the ground.
Ms. Mariama Njie, a member of The Gambia Empowerment Person with Physically Challenge Organisation (GEPPCO), on behalf of her organization thanked GYIN Gambia and UNESCO Dakar for developing such a Training Manual, which according to her, after the validation would be very instrumental in her organization’s work.
While recounting her participation during the training needs assessment, she used the opportunity to call on her fellow participants to make the best use of the document.
According to her, peace is fundamental in her organization’s day-to-day work. She noted that the implementation of the sustainable peace-building project by GYIN Gambia is paramount considering that the country just witnessed a presidential election and shortly, there would be Parliamentary and Local government elections.
“The most important aspect of the program is the involvement of the physically challenged group as we always feel discriminated in many projects and programs,” Ms. Njie said.
For Sainey Jawara, another participant from Kaur Balasita Youth Association explained that his Organisation is a community-based organization, with the objective of promoting community development programs such as empowering youths and women, mostly in the areas of entrepreneurship.
According to him, the interactions during the training need assessment had broadened his understanding of peace, violence, and conflict within the communities, homes, and the association.
He noted that the validation workshop has also strengthened his capacity as head of his organization on sustainable peace.