FORUM FOR AFRICAN WOMEN EDUCATIONALIST GAMBIA CHAPTER

Report on the Launching of ERW Project

Empowering Rural Women through Mobile Phone

Report on the launching of the EWR Project

LAUNCHING OF EMPOWERING RURAL WOMEN MOBILE PHONE PROJECT

Date: 26th

April 2012

Venue: Nyakoi - Upper River Region

Project Background:

FAWEGAM secured funding from the American Embassy to implement A -two year piloting

project on Empowering Rural Women through Mobile Phone technology. The funds will be

used to perform all necessary project activities and organize the required resources for the

project during its two year lifespan. FAWEGAM has overall responsibility of ensuring the

project is successfully completed and the required outcomes are met. The organization is also

responsible for the monitoring

and evaluation of the

project and its impact.

The project that is piloted in

regions 6, Upper River

Region, with target group

of mother’s clubs members,

and women leaders as

beneficial who do not already

have a mobile phone.

As the first stage of the implementation project, the project was officially launched in the

Upper River Region in the Village of Nyakoi. The project will give 1000 mobile phones to

one thousand women in the upper river region.

Launching of the Project:

The initiative dubbed ‘Empowering Rural Women Mobile Phone Project’ by the American

Embassy in Banjul and the Forum for African Women Educationalists The Gambia

(FAWEGAM) was launched in Nyakoi Taibatu village in the Wulli West District, Upper

River Region (URR) on April 2012.

The two-year project, which is being piloted in Region Six, is targeting members of the

mothers’ club, women leaders and decision-

makers inline with the objective of

enhancing their livelihoods through mobile

phone technology. The project will

distribute 1000 mobile phones to the women

in that part of the country.

Speaking at the occasion, Kadijatou Baldeh

Jallow National Executive Committee

Chairperson thanks the women of Upper

River Region for their massive turn out to

the launching ceremony, indicating that the women are very committed to the receiving the

services of the project in improving their social and economic wellbeing. She disclosed that

FAWEGAM will endeavour to the effective and efficient implementation of the project to

achieving its targeted results. She assured the American Embassy that FAWEGAM will

ensure that the project achieves its desired results by putting in the required administrative

tools and instruments that will guide the implementation processes of the Project. She

concluded by thanking the American Embassy in Banjul for partnering with FAWEGAM and

for supporting the finances of this important project.

Cendy Gregg the Mission Chief of the American Embassy in Banjul in her keynote address

disclosed that the Project is currently being implemented in Mali and Malawi in Africa. This

she believe, will significantly enhance their socio-economic status of women and bridge

communication gaps amongst them. She harped on the importance of the project to the

communities of URR, describing it as very meaningful.

While underscoring those women

have a very significant role to

play in achieving quality and

relevant education in the country,

She also used the moment to

commend the efforts of Gambian

women, whom she said are very

hardworking. She pointed out that

the project will go a long way in

easing the challenges and

constraints mothers’ are faced

with especially in disseminating

messages among themselves. She

explained that FAWEGAM being the implementing body will be sending messages to them

about the weather condition and prices at the markets, amongst other issues critical for their

awareness.

“Our aim among other things at the American Embassy is to complement the efforts of the

government by

participating in the

development process of

the country, and

moreover in

empowering Gambian

women,” she concluded

by enjoining the

beneficiaries to make

best use of the

opportunities accorded

to them and to

implement the project

for it to achieve its intended purposes.

Its objectives are to promote the health and educational information of the women in the

region. Mobile phone technology is a tool that can effectively address the communication gap

between communities and services provided in social sector. Most people use mobile phones

to receive and make voice calls thus increasing access to information and facilitated

communication among members of communities.

She also said that Mobile phones can become a tool for gender equality and empowerment as

it opens a great opportunity to the dissemination of information and knowledge to empower

women who are usually lower socially, less educated, poorer and lack political

representation.

Mrs Yadicon Njie Eribo, National Coordinator of said that FAWEGAM is a non-political

voluntary, charitable and non-sectarian organization

which brings together African Women and individuals

interested in girls education and likeminded males.

She added that FAWEGAM has over the years

engaged in a host of activities that are seen to be

impacting positively on the lives of women and girls.

The Forum works very closely with the Ministry of

Basic and Secondary Education’s Gender Education

Unit in the implementation of its activities, which

include the following amongst others: Bursary

schemes, Math’s and Science clinics for girls.

Through the FAWE School clubs problems affecting girls are addressed and they are

encouraged to speak up. The Girls are also been able to educate one another on issues that

directly affect them and militate against their performance in school. Other successful

activities of the forum include the All Girls Conference that has received wide publicity and

held Nationwide. The mother’s clubs, which are an invention of FAWEGAM and UNICEF,

assist the schools in addressing girl’s education issues at community level and providing

mother-to-mother education, counseling of girls, fundraising for the schools, and support for

the school feeding programs. With its membership cutting across all sectors, the forum has

been able to bring to the forefront the concerns of girls in school and has immensely

contributed to the sharp increase in girls’ enrolment. By virtue of its NGO status, mandate

and experience, the forum is better placed to address issues that require changes in policy and

laws through advocacy.

The Vision of FAWEGAM she said is to see “A World in which gender disparities in

education are eliminated and all African girls access education, perform well and complete

their studies”.and while its mission is to promote gender equity and equality in education in

Africa by fostering positive policies, practices and attitudes towards girls’ education

The ‘Empowering Rural Women through Mobile Technology’ project is a 2 year project that

is being run by FAWEGAM (The Forum for Africa Women Educationalists Gambia chapter)

– with funding from the US Embassy. : The project will be piloted in region 6, Upper River

Region being one of the biggest and vast regions. The target group will be our mother’s

clubs members, women leaders and decision makers who do not already have a mobile

phone.

The project will simply use mobile phones

as the medium to communicate important

messages to Gambian women living in

rural communities. A total of 1000 phones

will be distributed to women in the Upper

River Region of the country.

A special open source software, called

FreedomFone, will be used to send and receive messages to/from the women. All messages

will be gathered from government departments, including the Ministry of Health, Basic and

Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Agriculture, NGO’s

and other companies. The messages communicated to the women will help keep them

informed of necessary and interesting information – they will receive messages like school

opening and closing or when is the next vaccination clinic operated in your local area and

where will it take place. The women will then share the messages with other women and

people in their communities and will provide feedback about the services they receive locally,

interesting news taking place within their communities as well as feedback about the project.

The Word cauncilor of Nyakio Word welcomed the participants, The US Embassy and staff

of FAWEGAM to the Nyakoi and called on people to fill at home. She said the project is

timely as many women lack information on reproductive and health right information and

education by extension. Many a time young ladies are found in the region who could not

complete secondary school as a result of early marriage. He called on the one thousand

women to benefit from this project as the lucky few in the region. He stress on the need to

access information on health and education especially by rural women.

Isatou Dansira the President of Nyakoi Lower Basic Mothers club thanks everyone for

attaining the official opening of the first ever mobile phone project. She also thank

FAWEGAM for putting in the proposal to support the empowerment of women in URR. He

also thank the US Embassy in Banjul for funding the project. Jola Touray the focal person of

FAWEGAM base in Basse URR called on the women to make good use of the project

services. He also assured FAWEGAM of his inflicting support to the attainment of the

project objectives.