The Rural Child (RC), a charitable organisation registered under the Companies Act 2013 of The Gambia, in collaboration with International Organization of Migration (IOM) office in the country, over the weekend held a two-day sensitization forum on irregular migration for youths and village authorities.
Held at Mandinaba Village Nursery School in the West Coast Region (WCR), the overall objective of the forum is to sensitize 30 youth representatives of Village Development Committees (VDCs) and 30 village heads, on the dangers and negative effects that irregular migration imposes on their socio-economic development. And also to expose youth to some of the opportunities that they could access within the country, to enable them to venture into their own enterprises and exploit local resources in order to make a decent living.
The Coordinator of the organisation, Mr. Amadou Jallow, in his address, noted that over the years, there had been increased involvement of youth of Kombo East District, in irregular migration through the risky high seas, in their attempt to reach Europe and other western countries.
Jallow belives this is usually due to limited job opportunities and livelihood skills, lack of ideas to tap the untapped resources and make a living out of them, as well as influence from other young people who had already embarked on the journey and arrived in countries like Libya, Italy and other parts of Europe.
“Within the district, there have been stories of energetic youth who embarked on the journey and were never heard and seen [again] by their families. Families auction their properties, including land and livestock to support their loved ones to embark on the perilous journey with the hope that they could better their own lives and those of their families.
“But this, sometimes, remain a mirage for many families who would spend virtually all their properties to fund their loved ones to embark on the [perilous] journey which usually end in disaster,” RC Coordinator Jallow told his audience. He explained, it’s in this context that, The RC came up with this project concept titled: ‘Sensitization of VDC Youth Representatives and Village authorities on Irregular Migration’.
The RC chief informed the gathering their finding indicates that less than four (4) percent of the migrants had acquired job within the first year of their arrival. For others, their families and friends never heard from them again since they left the shores of The Gambia.
“There is still an alarming fear that the number may increase as young people continue to face the challenge of joblessness and lack of skills,’’ Jallow told the Mandinaba forum.
Other speakers at the event included Mr. Saikou Suwareh Jabbai from IOM; Mr. Amadou Ceesay of WCR Youth Committee; and the Alkalo of Mandinaba Village, Mr. Sunkary Sonko. The put more emphasis on the dangers associated with the back way journey, and urged government to help youths by creating job opportunities and skills for them, so as to shun the perilous, irregular journey to Europe.
