Back and Next - Back and NextFJC, others receive Child Friendly awards
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, was recently named a ‘Child Friendly Heroine’, at a colorful award ceremony held at the Paradise Suites Hotel, Kololi.
The National Child Friendly Award is an annual event organised by Young People in the Media (YPM) to honour individuals and institutions that have played vital roles in protecting the interests and promoting the rights and well-being of children and young people in The Gambia. It can be recalled that President Jammeh was awarded the 2007 ‘National Child Friendly Hero’ of the year. Also among this years recipients were Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, a banker and president of the Gambia Red Cross Society, who was awarded ‘Honorary Child Friendly Ambassador’ of the year; Mariam Allen, deputy head teacher of St John’s School for the Deaf, who received the ‘Significant Contributor for Children with Disability’ award; Njundu Drammeh, national coordinator of the Child Protection Alliance; Lamin Manga of Unique FM Radio; and Yassin Njang of the Gambia Methodist Academy.
The UNICEF Banjul Office, which has been very supportive and committed to the cause of Gambian children in terms of advocacy and child rights promotion, was also honored. Delivering the keynote statement, the secretary of state for Communication, Information & Information Technology, Honourable Fatim Badjie-Janneh, lauded the efforts of YPM The Gambia, describing the members as pacesetters.
SoS Badjie-Janneh urged the youngsters to stick to the ethical principles of the media in a bid to make society more vibrant for young people - in terms of access to information. Fatou Camara-Saidy, the board chairperson of YPM The Gambia, recalled that the organisation came into existence in early 2006, before it was formally launched by Her Excellency, the vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, as part of activities marking the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting.
She added that the organisation aims at empowering young people within the framework of a participatory platform for children and young people in electronic, broadcast and print media. “We also deemed it necessary to address inequalities among children and young people and to promote and protect the rights and well-being of children in the society,’’ she said, and added that the organisation had also tasked itself to advocate against child abuse, teenage and unwanted pregnancies, as well as raise awareness on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The guest speaker of the occasion, the UNICEF country resident representative, Min Whee Kang, hailed the efforts of YPM, and noted that her office is pleased and proud to see YPM go from strength to strength in promoting child rights in The Gambia. Madam Kang noted that 20 years ago, UNICEF started a modest idea to initiate a process that would identify examples of good practice, forge cooperative links among the many sectors involved, and produce resources to encourage further developments in the media field. She added that almost a decade after the Oslo Challenge, issued in November 1999, there has been tremendous advancement in child development.
The Oslo Challenge, she revealed, sought answers as to how to give children access to media, to provide children with media education and literacy, to ensure that children benefit from full participation in the media, to strengthen children’s protection from harm in the media and violence on screen, and to enhance the media’s role in promoting children’s rights
Madam Kang said it is encouraging to note that the number of young people involved in media projects has grown, as have the media professionals and child rights experts. Given the far-reaching influence of the media, the UNICEF boss noted, it does not only bring us breaking news; its usage is very much important in that “it amplifies the voice of the voiceless, when they shout out for help, as we saw in Sarajevo.”
She went on: “It zooms in and magnifies the details of natural disasters when nature strikes as it did during the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It also advocates for the innocent, especially the women and children trapped in war, who had nothing to do with the fighting, as was the case in Gaza. It pricks our conscience and prods us into action. This is the power of the media. It rivals parents, teachers, schools, communities and even religion as vital elements in children’s lives.
Abdou Jatta, president of YPM, noted that as the liveliest and most powerful tool, the media today gives the young people the chance not only to be critical media consumers but to also create their own messages and stories. The out-spoken young activist added that in their young hands, the media can become a vibrant platform for self-expression or empowerment, a call for community action. He said children need to be literarily active, the media can create young users not only for the print and spoken language but also of film and television.
He finally maintained that the media is the most powerful tool that has the potential to expose violation of the rights of children. Satang Nabaneh, secretary general of YPM, said a lot of achievements have been registered by the organisation since its inception. Nabaneh pointed to capacity building on media literacy and the participation of its members in international fora as some of the successes.
She disclosed that the organisation has successfully signed a memorandum of understanding with Radijojo, a world children’s radio network based in Berlin, Germany. Certificates of appreciation were also handed out to deserving institutions that have been in support of the organisation since its inception such as Trust Bank Gambia Limited, Paradise Suites Hotel, World View International Foundation, and Foundation for Sick Children.
Isatou Dabo, social secretary of YPM The Gambia, chaired the award ceremony, which was also punctuated by live performances from the Red Cross Afro Manding Band and Kumba Kuyateh. Also in attendance were the Senegalese female star, Fatou Loabe; the solicitor general, Dr Henry Carol; the SoS for Youth and Sports; National Assembly members; members of the civil society and the diplomatic and consular corps.
The National Child Friendly Award is an annual event organised by Young People in the Media (YPM) to honour individuals and institutions that have played vital roles in protecting the interests and promoting the rights and well-being of children and young people in The Gambia. It can be recalled that President Jammeh was awarded the 2007 ‘National Child Friendly Hero’ of the year. Also among this years recipients were Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, a banker and president of the Gambia Red Cross Society, who was awarded ‘Honorary Child Friendly Ambassador’ of the year; Mariam Allen, deputy head teacher of St John’s School for the Deaf, who received the ‘Significant Contributor for Children with Disability’ award; Njundu Drammeh, national coordinator of the Child Protection Alliance; Lamin Manga of Unique FM Radio; and Yassin Njang of the Gambia Methodist Academy.
The UNICEF Banjul Office, which has been very supportive and committed to the cause of Gambian children in terms of advocacy and child rights promotion, was also honored. Delivering the keynote statement, the secretary of state for Communication, Information & Information Technology, Honourable Fatim Badjie-Janneh, lauded the efforts of YPM The Gambia, describing the members as pacesetters.
SoS Badjie-Janneh urged the youngsters to stick to the ethical principles of the media in a bid to make society more vibrant for young people - in terms of access to information. Fatou Camara-Saidy, the board chairperson of YPM The Gambia, recalled that the organisation came into existence in early 2006, before it was formally launched by Her Excellency, the vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, as part of activities marking the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting.
She added that the organisation aims at empowering young people within the framework of a participatory platform for children and young people in electronic, broadcast and print media. “We also deemed it necessary to address inequalities among children and young people and to promote and protect the rights and well-being of children in the society,’’ she said, and added that the organisation had also tasked itself to advocate against child abuse, teenage and unwanted pregnancies, as well as raise awareness on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The guest speaker of the occasion, the UNICEF country resident representative, Min Whee Kang, hailed the efforts of YPM, and noted that her office is pleased and proud to see YPM go from strength to strength in promoting child rights in The Gambia. Madam Kang noted that 20 years ago, UNICEF started a modest idea to initiate a process that would identify examples of good practice, forge cooperative links among the many sectors involved, and produce resources to encourage further developments in the media field. She added that almost a decade after the Oslo Challenge, issued in November 1999, there has been tremendous advancement in child development.
The Oslo Challenge, she revealed, sought answers as to how to give children access to media, to provide children with media education and literacy, to ensure that children benefit from full participation in the media, to strengthen children’s protection from harm in the media and violence on screen, and to enhance the media’s role in promoting children’s rights
Madam Kang said it is encouraging to note that the number of young people involved in media projects has grown, as have the media professionals and child rights experts. Given the far-reaching influence of the media, the UNICEF boss noted, it does not only bring us breaking news; its usage is very much important in that “it amplifies the voice of the voiceless, when they shout out for help, as we saw in Sarajevo.”
She went on: “It zooms in and magnifies the details of natural disasters when nature strikes as it did during the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It also advocates for the innocent, especially the women and children trapped in war, who had nothing to do with the fighting, as was the case in Gaza. It pricks our conscience and prods us into action. This is the power of the media. It rivals parents, teachers, schools, communities and even religion as vital elements in children’s lives.
Abdou Jatta, president of YPM, noted that as the liveliest and most powerful tool, the media today gives the young people the chance not only to be critical media consumers but to also create their own messages and stories. The out-spoken young activist added that in their young hands, the media can become a vibrant platform for self-expression or empowerment, a call for community action. He said children need to be literarily active, the media can create young users not only for the print and spoken language but also of film and television.
He finally maintained that the media is the most powerful tool that has the potential to expose violation of the rights of children. Satang Nabaneh, secretary general of YPM, said a lot of achievements have been registered by the organisation since its inception. Nabaneh pointed to capacity building on media literacy and the participation of its members in international fora as some of the successes.
She disclosed that the organisation has successfully signed a memorandum of understanding with Radijojo, a world children’s radio network based in Berlin, Germany. Certificates of appreciation were also handed out to deserving institutions that have been in support of the organisation since its inception such as Trust Bank Gambia Limited, Paradise Suites Hotel, World View International Foundation, and Foundation for Sick Children.
Isatou Dabo, social secretary of YPM The Gambia, chaired the award ceremony, which was also punctuated by live performances from the Red Cross Afro Manding Band and Kumba Kuyateh. Also in attendance were the Senegalese female star, Fatou Loabe; the solicitor general, Dr Henry Carol; the SoS for Youth and Sports; National Assembly members; members of the civil society and the diplomatic and consular corps.
Author: DO
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