Force marriage is very common in this community and its causing a lot of problem such as girls dropping out from school very early, health related risks especially during delivery. The campaign would be carried out through a blog. The project seeks to raise awareness about the many dangers associated with the practice, the benefits of girls education and the legal frameworks regard women and girls that have been enacted by the country. It would provide live picture of the practice with interviews and videos with victims, parents, teachers, policymakers, social workers etc.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Barrow Kunda
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Barrow Kunda has an estimated population of about 4000 people but the project would cover other satellite villages such as Jah Kunda, Sutukoba, Kuwonkunding and Manakoto.
These would result to covering a population of over 20 thousand people.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Mr Boe Sawo www.facebook.com/Boe Sawo
Mr Kawsu Sillah www.facebook.com/Kawsu Fatoumatta Csay Sillah
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
A blog will be the main medium for the project.
It would also involve live interviews as well as videos of victims narrating their experiences.
We hope to create documented cases as well as those keeping silence while facing the pain.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
Beakanyang is well known for its grassroots activism. The project coordinator is a journalists too and has helped the organization establish many connections key among them is the partnering with Young Journalists Association of The Gambia (YJAG) who have already pledge to work with us in this project. YJAG has agreed to provide its provencial reporters in URR to will be working with us and as a matter of fact, we will be traveling to Banjul to sign an MoU with them.
We would be also working closely with the Internet Association of The Gambia BASSE CHAPTER.
Already, we have since a memorandum of agreement with the Ministry of Education in Banjul, they would be happy to learn and partner with us in this endavour too.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
At least 20 direct participants would be train during our meeting/training sessions.
Refreshment would be always provided to keep them refresh. A little compensation for best appealing stories with good videos would be made to participants who travel to other communities for the work.
Awards would also be provided to most active participant after 6months to motivate others to also work hard and remain as active participants.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
The organization's main office is located in this community. Our partners are well known for their ICT expertise in the region and are ready to share it with us.
But also the coordinator of the project is a trained journalist with over 9 years journalism experience and one time served as deputy editor-in-chief of the Gambia's 2nd biggest newspaper for three years.
The group members who will be working on this project would attending meetings/trainings at their own cost and we have the assurance from them that they would live up to expectation.
We would provide additional computers at the community center .i.e Beakanyang Plaza to be open to young boys and girls and their teachers to remain active participants in the project to boost access too. Yes this is an ideal technology here!
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
We would allocate at least four desktop computers and two laptops for the project implementation. We using USB modems of two internet providers whose network connections are second to non in the country as far as speed is concern.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
I was burn here, my office is located at the centre of the community and am working for the betterment of the community.
The organization that I work for has a good track record of successfully implementing community projects for women and youth in this community and its surrounding villages.
I was appointed to this post to work with this organization at first instance through the nomination of this community.
I am the only journalist in the country who hailed from this community! I love my people but they too love me!
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
We would ensure that there is enough fuel for our office generator should in case electricity goes off.
We would also ensure that our data card is always loaded with credit to avoid low internet connectivity in the office.
We would also respect the privacy of the child victims especially girls when necessary.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
The content of the blog and live stories from the victims and well as other members of the community should serve as a yardstick for evaluation of the project.
Feedback will also be soughed from the readers both at home and abroad to help us improve on the project and future similar ones.
We also hope that it would result to reduction and hopefully complete eradication of the practice in the long run.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
The project would begin at the end of May 2014 and end in April 2015 officially but our intention is to keep it running for ever.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Internet Connection $500
Digital Camera $150
Allowance for coordinator $ 400
Digital Tape Recorder $ 100
Refreshment for Meetings of team members running the project $350
Electricity/fuel to keeping computers running $300
Transport refund for active freelance reporters attached to the project $600
Credit Cards $100
TOTAL: $ 2,500
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
You could continue supporting us by linking us with other organizations and donors to keep the good work.
We would be more than happy if you could send us an intern volunteer provided that such help could also be possible.
Contact name
Mr Nfamara Jawneh
Organization
Beakanyang Kafo
