An NSGA community film night in Bansang

Donor: UNICEF, The Gambia

Time Period: January 2010-December, 2011

Based on NSGA’s success in the field of education and community interventions over the years, UNICEF, through its Child Policy and Advocacy Project of the Country Program, supported our child protection programs in schools and communities.

The project’s goal was to increase awareness and advocate for the protection of children against all forms of abuse and exploitation.

Our intervention focused on three key messages  namely: forced/early marriage,
teenage pregnancy and child sexual abuse. The activities under this project
involved  training Peer Health Educator’s from 18 schools in the two regions; production of information materials in the form of posters and flyers, and conducting 60 community cinema shows using educational films on the topics developed and produced by NSGA. All activities for this project have been successfully implemented and reported.

During the project, 377 PHEs and 36 Teacher Coordinators were trained on child sexual abuse, with special focus on the profile of an abuser; identifying the different types of abuse; learned about ways to report cases of abuse; and means of preventing abuse.These PHEs have gone on to reach 9,014 students through drama, one-on-one presentations and classroom sessions. Through the community cinema shows, our team has conducted shows in 68 communities reaching a total of 31,081 people.

In The Gambian culture, men, women and children do not discuss sensitive cultural practices such as early marriage and matters of teenage pregnancy. Through the interactive community cinema shows, we are able to break these barriers and create atmospheres where all these parties can discuss and agree on issues that protect the best interest of women and children.