2nd progress report

NAME OF YMCA
National Council of The Gambia YMCAs

PROJECT TITLE
Liverpool YMCA Funded Project in Bee Keeping and Honey Production
Basse, Upper River Region

REPORTING PERIOD
August 2009 – May 2010

Contact Person
Sam B. Thorpe
National General Secretary (Director)
Gambia YMCAs
P. O. Box 421, Banjul The Gambia
Tel: (00 220) 4390625 / 7792734 / 9905516
Fax: 00 220 4390793
Email: ymca@ymca.gm / sam@ymca.gm
Website: www.ymca.gm

1. What were the main accomplishments / successes during this reporting period and how did they come about?

 At organisational level

This project has been able to profile the work of the YMCAs in Basse and its surrounding villages. It has also strategically enlightened the people of Basse on the support given by Liverpool YMCAs to Gambian initiatives. This being the second bee keeping project ever implemented by the Gambia YMCAs has also crated an avenue for the organisation to gain expertise, acquire skills and demonstrate its capacity to plan initiate and implement successfully.

 At personal / beneficiary level

The beneficiaries have all shared their gratitude and appreciation for support provided by the YMCA especially in an area that has not been supported by other NGOs in the region over the past years. The local government authorities have mentioned the YMCA strife in support Gambian youths in complimenting government efforts.

Most of the beneficiaries trained last year are engaged in some form of income generation through the skill acquired from the training.

Gratifying enough to note that one of the beneficiaries (Binneh Jaiteh – 1st Batch of Trainees) ) has secured a micro loan from the Gambia YMCAs through the other existing projects. This is to establish an enterprise venture to sell purified honey of good quality across the country. This move motivated the others to develop more interest when she informed them of the approval of her loan by the Gambia YMCAs.

 Community level

The communities have manifested their appreciation for the support given to their children. The fact that the training has been brought to the door step of their young adults is indeed gratifying. The Gambia YMCAs is regarded as a very promising organisation that is committed to the welfare of Gambian young people.

 Wider Social Context

This training as mention has attracted a lot of adult youths (see ages) who are breadwinners in their respective homes and are very responsible for the day to day survival of their homes, thus the outcome of this training has seen and increased in their income and spending power and their families are now assured of three square meals a day. In a typical Gambian context when an adult youth is now able to address his needs by being independent, he / she is seen by society as a responsible person and he / she is normally involved in a lot of other extra activities such as decision making, solving family issues and development discussions.

 Wider Political Context

The state government continues to recognise the great work of The Gambia YMCAs through its programs in empowering rural youth in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development. The government has created an environment for equal participation and the Gambia YMCAs is tapping on this very great opportunity to reach to its target. The government of The Gambia has demonstrated its support to the ongoing youth development initiatives of The Gambia YMCAs and has mentioned this many national and international events. The ministry for Youth and Sports is a key partner to all Gambia YMCAs programs thus resulting in giving the Gambia YMCAs through one of its staff to be a Member of the National Youth Task Force charged with the responsibility to re-structure and provide leadership and direction to the National Youth Council – A satellite institution under the Ministry for Youth and Sports.

 Wider Cultural Context

Bee keeping and honey production is a traditional products, trade and skill acquisition. It has a connotation of being an area for old people. However, through advocacy the Gambia YMCAs has been able to change this notion. The Gambia YMCAs as a civil society organisation is very much involved in advocacy campaigns on stereotype especially with regards to developmental issues. A very strategic, experience and committed advocacy group has been created to continue the campaign on key issues that affects the holistic development of young people. These advocacy groups are established in all the regions and are well placed in this crusade.

 Wider Economic Context

The fact that a good number of the trained beneficiaries are now engaged in viable businesses that is earning them income to support their families is indeed laudable. As mentioned earlier, a responsible young person is one that can support him / her financially and thus is what this training has provided. The best thing was the strategy used to trained young adults for sustainability and continuity.

2. What have been the major problems / challenges to programme implementation in general ? How have they affected the implementation of the project? How were these problems/challenges addressed?

 At organisational level

This has been the second time The Gambia YMCAs is implementing such a project in Bee Keeping, however, it is an organisation with verse experience in project implementation and can face a lot of demand especially from youths / young adults who are eager to transform their lives. This project is very viable and presently one of the major challenges is emanating from the communities surrounding Basse requesting for the same to be done in their villages / communities. Presently in order to involve them a lot of these trainees travel from nearby villages and this is creating problems for them, thus requesting to have the same training at their door step.

 At personal / beneficiary level

The demand is very high presently for this particular training and the Gambia YMCAs has a limited number to train thus creating a lot of challenges for the interested young adults. They are always traumatise when inform that they are unsuccessful to undergo the training. The demand has been in the increase and it is hard for some of them to comprehend the limited opportunity available.

 Community level

The need to bring the training at the door step of every beneficiary is the clarion call of all the communities. They are complaining of the increasing cost of transportation to travel to Basse town for the training

 Wider Economic Context

There is a growing challenge to market the honey produce in Basse. Thus the Gambia YMCAs is involved in marketing some of the honey in the urban areas of Banjul / Serre kunda and its surroundings especially amongst the staff and volunteers.

3. Please indicate how this project has addressed gender with respect to the following themes.

Women’s empowerment

Since the beginning of the project one female has been very bold enough to venture into this particular training which is locally deemed to be meant for men only. Her participation served as an eye opener to many other female youth in Basse.

Involvement of men and boys

A lot of men and boy are interested in this training, however, due to past experience, the YMCAs has decided to train more of men who will continue using this trade in the future rather than training only boy who might deviate in the future to other skills areas.

Other issues relating to gender (please explain)

This is a skill that is predominantly for men with less interest from youth / boys. The idea to attract more females is in place in the event they are interested.

4. Please indicate how the beneficiaries / community have been involved in programme decision-making in this period and the main outcomes of this participation.

Through other Gambia YMCAs project a Project steering Committee is in place in all the project intervention areas including Basse. In all these Project Steering Committee a beneficiary is a member to represent his / her other colleagues. With the views of young people being incorporated through this process it is also evident that the communities are also involved as a local government authority representative. Their involvement has resulted in all the major decisions that have impacted positively in the project thus far.

5. Please indicate how this project has addressed the rights of vulnerable / marginalised young adults.

The right of marginalised and vulnerable young adults is adequately addressed from the inception through a very visible and transparent recruitment process. In Upper River Region (Basse) an unskilled young person finds it very difficult to acquire job or even benefit from any form of training, so the Gambia YMCAs created a window of opportunity for this sector of young people. Some of these young people involved would not have been fortunate to benefit in any other training in Basse.

6. Please indicate how this project has addressed diversity during this reporting period (e.g. ethnicity, disability, level of income, education levels, and other groups including refugees, displaced young people, street children, young people living with HIV, and rural girls and women).

Ethnicity

Different ethnic groups are always part of the trainees such as Wolof, Mandinka, Fula, Jola, Manjago, etc.

Education Levels

Grade 12      Non
Grade 9      Non
No educational Background    8

Refugees      Nil
Internally displaced young people   Nil
Street children     Nil
Young people living with HIV    Nil
Rural girls and women    1
Orphans      1 KEMO FOFANA KISS-KISS 18YRS

7. What are the main lessons learnt from this reporting period? How will they be used in the project?

Significantly amongst the lessons is the interest generated by the trainees recently due to the fact that one of them has secured a loan from The Gambia YMCAs. This demonstrates how motivational packages can influence learning and generate interest.

8. Are there any proposed changes to the project work plan during the next reporting period, if applicable?

Yes …. This year’s (2010) training started a little late meaning it will end by October 2010.

9. Is any additional technical assistance such as access to training and technical expertise required to improve the quality of programme implementation? If so, please describe
o Type of technical assistance required?

To support in the marketing of the honey in UK through a strategy to be discussed.

o Who would you like this assistance from?

It will be appreciated if this comes from Liverpool YMCAs.

LIST OF 2010 TRAINEES – Commenced training on 05th April 2010

   Name                   Village             Age
 LASANA JAWO      SANNUNDING   35YRS
 HAMADI JAITEH    SANNUNDING   31YRS
 BAILO KANUTEH    TINKIN JO       44YRS
 BAMBO KANUTEH   SANNUNDING 40YRS
 FODAY KANUTEH   SANNUNDING   43YRS
 KEBBA JABBIE       TINKINJO        40YRS
 ALAGIE SOWE      KENEBA          25YRS
 LAMIN SANNEH     SABU SIREH   35YRS
 KEMO FOFANA      KISS-KISS       18YRS
 BANNA DIBASSY    KISS-KISS      36YRS

National Council of The Gambia YMCAs
Liverpool YMCAs Funded Project
Bee Keeping and Honey Production Project – Basse – Upper River Region
October 2008 – October 2010

Financial Report for 2009

Summary Income

Amount Received January 2010 = GBP 3200

Amount received after exchange = D128, 000.00 (D40.00 per GBP1)

Total Amount for activities = D128, 000.00 (One Hundred and Twenty Eight Thousand Dalasis)

Summary Expenditure

Training Cost on bee keeping and Honey Production D35,000.00

Material Cost (bee hives / garments) D40,000.00

Monitoring Cost D25,000.00

Training Cost on Business Enterprise,

Marketing and Leadership Development Training D28,000.00

D128,000.00