NETWORK
(CEDEN - WORLDWIDE)
ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Gender Based Violence and Peace Building Training
Recognizing the positive contributions made by our determined partner (Defense For Human Rights), we were auspicious to continue the good work of the Gender Based Violence and Peace Building Training (GBVPBT) in schools from September 2017, which was first established in 2016. This year, however, due to the lack of funding Ceden International could only reach out to the nearest schools in the Kombo Area of Gambia.
Training session
So far, we have successfully trained over 500 students from 5 different schools. Each school provided us with approximately 70 girls and 30 boys between Grade 4 and 12 for a two-day training session. The program contained lectures about the concept and various sources of Human Rights, as well as the social phenomenon of “Child Trafficking” and “Gender Base Violence”.
In order to make the training more interactive and lively for the students, they had to come up with their own drama plays and presentations, which they have handled extraordinarily well.
Participants
Furthermore, the students were taught on some important mediation and peace building skills which will help them to solve conflicts for themselves and among their peers in the form of peace clubs at their schools. After the training, the students were able to repeat the given presentations in their own words, which showed that they have fully captivated the idea of Human Rights – Gender Based Violence and are now empowered to conduct step down training for their entire school.
Therefore, Ceden International has made a great impact on the lives of these students and their communities. In this vein, Ceden International wishes to continue to raise resources to expand the reach of this training programme to benefit more schools and communities.
Voice Out for Your Rights to End Early or Forced Marriage
(A Women, Youth & Children Empowerment Project)
The project was implemented with initial support of Ceden International. The project reached 40 community women groups and 5 school teams in The Gambia, Sierra Leone & Liberia.
Gender based violence continues to be a great concern and challenge in our everyday social life at different levels of societies. Awareness creation and capacity building in our various institutions and communities on such issues is another form of our contribution as a Charitable Organisation to complement the existing efforts of the state to fulfill the development aspiration of the nation.
Female students drop out of school due to early or forced marriage, rape resulting to unwanted pregnancy. There is a traditional concept in our communities that females are being nurtured or trained to become just domestic house wives. These violations of the women's rights are mostly perpetrated by their parents, guardians, caregivers, traditional leaders and in some cases, even teachers are involved in rape and sexual harassment of the female students thus the most serious part of it is that these are teachers or even relatives that the victims do trust.
Ceden International believes that it is far more effective and desirable to eliminate or mitigate the high rate of gender based violence rather than having to address the consequences of the violence. As such, this program provided the target schools and communities more access to information on the prevention of gender based violence and other forms of indecent assault in the Western Coast Region of the Gambia.
Women's empowerment has been found to be a vital aspect of sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all. Ceden International strongly supports women's empowerment by engaging in strategic partnerships to improve the economic and social status of women through self-help approaches; increasing women's participation and political leadership in decision-making processes and facilitating the strengthening of social support structures to address social issues affecting women and their families.
In this light, Ceden International received financial support from Defense for Human Rights (DHR) to implement a 12 month project titled “Hands Up for your Rights” (a women empowerment project). The project started in June 2016 through May 2017 focusing on the West Coast Region and the Greater Banjul Area of The Gambia.
The project conducted weekly training sessions on Gender Based Violence and Peace Building in all the 20 communities and 10 schools identified. Each training session consisted of a maximum of 30 participants from each group. Because of the importance of involving both men and women in this work we incorporated 20% representation from the male gender group. A total of 733 participants were trained both in schools and communities in the Western Coast Region and Greater Banjul Area.
The training focused on basic principles and concepts of local and global women's rights instruments protecting the fundamental liberties and birth right of girls and women. The training was meant to assist the participants increase their level of awareness and understanding of women's rights and gender related issues.
Thus, the following topics were among those discussed during the training:
Ø Women's rights concepts and principles
Ø Gender and Development
Ø Domestic and gender based violence
Ø Sexual related violence and discrimination against women
Ø Religion and gender based violence
Ø Remedies to gender based violence
The capacity trainings conducted in the intervention schools and communities, resulted in the formation and establishment of vibrant Female Human Rights and Peace Clubs in the various schools and communities by the trainees. Subsequently, this has led to massive step down trainings and sensitization activities conducted by the trainee teams on Gender Based Violence and Peace Building in their respective schools and communities.
