By Mariam Williams
ChildFund-The Gambia, with support from One World Play Project, in their “Gifts-in-Kind” programme, had recently donated a 20ft container of footballs to their partners in all the Regions but Banjul and Kanifing Municipality.
The footballs are meant to complement their programme of working to improve the lives of deprived, excluded and vulnerable children in the Gambia.
In the course of its work with partners and supporters, ChildFund-The Gambia [CF-The Gambia], as an organisation, was able to reach some 54,438 children through their programmes and project in their local partner organisations, and the other regions in the country.
It’s been gathered that in total, they have through their intervention, reached 344,672 people as of fiscal year 2019.
Madam Musu Kuta Komma, Country Director of ChildFund-The Gambia explained that the initiative, One World Football 2019, is meant for children in all the regions, except for Banjul and KM.
“We are giving out a total number of two thousand and twenty four balls. The Ministry of Youth and Sport is also receiving some 100 balls out of the package.
She said this particular gesture is part of “Gift-in-Kind” programme which allows them to complement the efforts of government in the health and education sectors.
“I am indeed happy to once again receive you here for a very important event, handing over of 2024 balls to the Gambian children, courtesy of One World Play Project,” said the CF’s country boss.
Madam Komma said the game{soccer}serves as a source of unity, understanding, and increased team spirit among children. That, it also boosts their level of confidence and organisational skills, thereby giving them the courage to make their voices heard.
She recalled that in a recent assessment conducted with children of various age cohorts in one of the communities in ChildFund’s operational areas, children indicated that during football games, they feel happy to be at the football grounds, for they believe that the ground is a safe place for them to meet, interact and discuss a range of issues, including child protection concerns, and mapping Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms (CBCPMs).
“You all will agree with me, that football is the most important popular game in the Gambia where youth and children are quite often seen in the streets, at football fields and at school,” she stated, adding they hope that intervention would make a huge difference and help harness the talents and skills of the children who are so passionate about football. “We hope to see our Messis and Ronaldos soonest,” Komma remarked.
Ms. Awa Minteh, a Programme Specialist, Early Child Development (ECD) told the handing over ceremony that this is one of ChildFund’s “Gift-in-Kind” programmes, noting they have been in the venture since the existence of ChildFund. Saying football is one of the “Gift-in-Kind” projects that they do in The Gambia, she recollected that “in the past we have also donated some medical items, books, bicycles, and the list goes on”.
The Programme Specialist said the items would be handed over to their various partners, the federations they working with and the various Ministries like Youth and Sports, and Basic and Secondary Education, and also with their other partners such as UNICEF,
As deduced from Minteh’s views, the donated footballs are different from the other footballs that the children of the Gambia are familiar with; in that these particular “footballs are designed with top standards” and are very difficult to destroy.
“We know one of the challenges we have in the Gambia here, is we have to continuously buy football because they are spoiled easily, because of the quality of what we have,” ECD Specialist observed.
Madam Minteh recognized football as one of the popular games in the country and “one of the games that all of us are proud of”.
Board Chairman of ChildFund-The Gambia, Mr. Musa Mbye, on behalf of the CF, thanked their partners in facilitating their work to easily reach the deprived, excluded and vulnerable children in the society.
He went on, “We want to thank you sincerely because without you, we would have been seriously challenged in delivering services.” He used the occasion to encourage their partners to contribute in supporting the vulnerable ones in the society.
He said this was the 4th donation done by CF-The Gambia, this year alone.
Mr. Marcel Mendy, Executive Director of The Gambia National Sports Council (NSC) addressing the gathering at the handing over of the donated footballs, said that initiative did tell very well with the plans of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, particularly now that they are “very much committed or even more committed” to decent life in their sports.
Executive Director Mendy stressed the importance of having those footballs, as one couldn’t play football without the soccer ball.
Emphasizing that it’s therefore, very much in line with their thinking, Mendy also expressed the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ appreciation of the gifts from ChildFund-{a non-governmental organisation engaged in child welfare, agricultural crops production, food aid distribution, school building, healthcare, rural business enterprises, water well supplies and filtration, self-sustaining self-employment, micro-credit and loans, livestock production and artisanal fisheries development}.
Mendy avowed: “We can’t thank you enough. It will really cost us a lot of amount to provide ourselves 100 balls; so having such from you is a plus.We are more than the word grateful”.
Mr. Musa Mendy of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, in short MOBSE, spoke on behalf of their ministry.
