By Lamin Fatty
‘Tostan’ Gambia on Sunday December 1st 2019 held inter-zonal meeting in Sutukoba in Wuli East Constituency.
The meeting brought together 130 participants drawn from 30 communities under ‘Tostan’s NORAD funded project in Upper River Region (URR).
Saikounah Bajaha who represented the Wuli East Chief at the meeting, commended ‘Tostan’ for complementing Government efforts in the non-formal education sector; that the efforts have enabled all ‘Tostan’ class participants know their rights and obligatory duties as citizens.
Mama Jabbai, a Community Management Committee (CMC) coordinator for Sutukoba Centre 1, said with the intervention of ‘Tostan’ in their village, they are able to learn more on democracy and human rights, problem solving processes, alphabets in Mandinka and numerating; that after undergoing the non-formal education classes, women in Sutukoba are now ready than ever to stand on platforms and speak without fear or intimidation.
Kumuna Siddibeh, a village health worker said the coming of ‘Tostan’ to Sutukoba village has made her job easier in the regular cleaning of the village, sensitization on health issues and others.
Sarjo Siddibeh, another participant defined “Democracy” in Mandinka as people’s power; that Democracy has some basic principles which include the right to life, to freedom from all forms of violence, freedom of movement, of expression, etc.; but that all these rights have obligatory duties.
Satou Jawneh and the rest of the participants reiterated what the previous speakers explained; that the right to education is everybody’s right regardless of gender, tribe, rich or poor and the disable.
