By Mama A. Touray & Sainabou Sambou
The African German Energy Development Association in conjunction with MADRA has blessed Simma Women’s Resource Centre and Vocational Training Institute in Bundung with a new modern borehole powered by solar system.
Speaking at the inaugural and handing over ceremony of the borehole to the beneficiary, Mama Janneh Sawaneh chairperson of Board of Directors of the institute gave the background of the school founded in 1991by late Satang Jobarteh.
According to her the founder, late Satang Jobateh, was a gender activist whose aimed was to empower young Gambian girls to attain their potentials through skills training and overall education.
“Though it is not only girls that attend these school even boys too are here studying different vocational courses,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Yunus Saliu, former Principal of Simma Vocational Training Institute explained that “the school might be small but we have some of its ex-students working in different institutions in across the country.”
He said the late Satang Jobarteh, as an activist in her life time with her students were campaigning against early marriage, baby dumping, FGM, and more women to participation in politics especially to have them in National Assembly amongst other important positions in the country.
He called on people of the community and Gambians at large to assist the school to return back to its glory days.
Haddijatou Drammeh Ceesay directress of Simma Vocational Training Institute said “African German Energy Development Association (AGEDA) is a Berlin based non-profit organization launched in 2012 and it focuses on energy development. The organization has since expanded to include rural development education and environmental concerns amongst other charitable ventures.
“In partnership with local associations such as MADRA Development Foundation, AGEDA’s current projects include sponsoring school children to pay school fees both in Gambia and in Uganda since 2015.”
In Uganda, she said the association undertakes a small-scale poultry project which provides modest income for about 10 local women in Kisengo District; additionally about 60 fruit trees of different types were also planted in the area which provides much needed food security to the Kisengo school children.
Among other interventions, she said AGEDA provided Covid-19 relief packages for some needy families both in The Gambia and Uganda, while now completed a borehole drilling project for Simma Women’s Resource Centre and Vocational Training Institute with other on the pipeline for Kerr Pateh Koreh Horticultural Garden.
Representative of the Alkalo of Bundung Ka Kunda thanked the African-German Energy Development Association and Simma Vocational Training Institute for helping in shaping the future of the children and providing a borehole to the school and to the community as water is a challenge in Bundung, while adding that a human being cannot go without water.
Simma Vocational Training Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1991 by Satang Jobarteh, Simma and GTTI were among the first institutions built in The Gambia.