In her project presented during the graduation ceremony of the “Impact West Africa Fellowship” program, young Gambian Fatou NDOW expressed her ambitious vision for her country. Specializing in health and women’s economic empowerment, she detailed her project comprehensively. Fatou aims to engage development partners to support a pilot program involving 25 youth-led organizations within the community to enhance their skills in advocacy, public speaking, and meaningful engagement in sexual and reproductive health and HIV by May 2024. “It is important for young Gambians to receive support to improve their skills and better harness their potential. We have competent youth, and they just need to be pushed forward, and I am committed to that.”
Gambia was honored during the speech ceremony marking the graduation of the “Impact West Africa Fellowship” program held in Dakar. Before an audience supportive of her cause, Fatou NDOW defended her project with seriousness and dedication. “The Impact West Africa Fellowship program has brought me a lot; it has allowed me to be much more structured and to defend my project before funders,” Fatoustated.
Fatou is an experienced public health program manager, working on empowering community organizations to improve healthcare for the most vulnerable populations in West and Central Africa. She uses research to design, implement, and advocate for programs that prioritize community engagement and improve the quality of interventions, while developing a more effective and sustainable health response in the region.
The program lasted 9 months and included 10 fellows from 8 West African countries (Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire). Organized by the advocacy agency Niyel and the Aspen Foundation, the program’s goal is to train Africans in advocacy techniques to enable them to defend their projects before a panel of potential funders.
