By Kebba Jeffang
The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) on Thursday, January 28, 2016
convened a press briefing at its headquarters in Kanifing upon the
completion of the implementation of a 600, 000 euro grant project on
mitigation of malnutrition and food security.The 8 months project that ran from June 2015 and ended in January 2016
was funded by the European Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
(ECHO) targeting the North Bank Region and the Central River Region
North being the most vulnerable regions after the food crisis in 2012.
Speaking to Journalists, Madam Fatou Gaye, acting Secretary General of
the Gambia Red Cross Society, said the overall objective of the ECHO
food security project intervention was to contribute in mitigating the
impact of malnutrition and food insecurity in the Gambia. She said the
project is also aimed at building community resilience in CRR North
and NBR by supporting very poor households in the districts of Sami and
Upper Nuimi.
She noted that the project contains three components such as
nutritional sensitization to 12, 500 people, food security and
livelihood cash distribution to 2, 100 families, and nutritional
support through cooking demonstrations to 2, 300 pregnant and
lactating women and children under five.
She thanked their partners such as ECHO and the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Madam Daniella Trudeau, ECHO development project manager for the IFRC
said her organization has created such programs in order to support
the national societies of the Red Cross across the world. She noted
that the funding amount of 600, 000euros was secured from the ECHO
through IFRC to the Gambia Red Cross Society.
“The project cost is 600, 000 euros and has commenced its running from
June 2015 and ends in January 2016,” said Trudeau.
Mr. Buba Darboe, the operation manager of the ECHO project, said they
have trained 32 volunteers and mobile data was used during the
implementation for data collection. He noted that 30 communities were
identified in which 15 communities were randomly selected from the
North Bank and the CRR north.
“128 communities were reached through the delivery of aid with over
30, 000 beneficiaries. Over 100 Gambia Red Cross volunteers from the
North Bank and CRR and 30 staff were used to conduct the activities,”
he said.
Mr. Darboe added that “over D21, 100, 000 was provided directly to
beneficiaries through cash distribution to 2, 100 households in NBR
and CRR which is D16, 800. Delivery of this aid was done through
community targeting, identifying 2, 100 beneficiary households and
providing D3, 350 per household per month for 3 months from October to
December. This allowed the most vulnerable household to meet basic
food needs..”
Among the local partners who participated in the implementation of the
project are National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Gambia Bureau
of Statistics (GBOS), World Food Program (WFP) and National
Nutritional Agency (NaNA).
