Back and Next - Back and NextYAP clocks seven
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Youth Ambassadors of Peace (YAP), this year clocked seven years of existence in The Gambia. This was disclosed to the Daily Observer by Mr Lamin Ceesay, the Administrative and Finance Officer of the Youth Ambassadors of Peace on Tuesday morning at the YAP Head office, Jimpex Road, Kanifing. Mr Ceesay told the Daily Observer that the Youth Ambassadors of Peace was conceived by young Gambian youths on the 17th May 2001.
He noted that they believed that youths around the world get scared in their minds due to the numerous arm conflicts, civil wars, racial discrimination, political, social and economic ills. The YAP Administration and Finance Officer pointed out that as their name implies, they believed that peace is central and vital for any society to live, the absence of which, every positive under taking is brought to a standstill. Mr Ceesay also noted that peace doesnot only means the absence of war but there is also a need for us to unite and love one another, to have a peaceful mind in our society.
Commenting on their activities for the past seven years, Mr Ceesay said as an advocacy group, the Youth Ambassadors of Peace advocates for the society to nuture the culture of peace. He revealed that the Youth Ambassadors of Peace targeted the entire country of the Gambia with a fully functioning divisional coordinators across the country sensitizing their respective communities on peace.
Mr Ceesay further went on to say that peace education training has during the past seven years paid dividends in their operations as many schools in the lower to upper levels were trained on peace and the culture of peace.
On the recently concluded country wide participatory rural appriasal tour, Ceesay noted that the participatory rural appraisal by the Youth Ambassadors was purely embarked upon to reach out to the target beneficiaries on their task towards the activities conducted by the YAP during the past years. Mr Ceesay said in a nutshell that it is an overview of their programmes by the beneficiaries.
According to him, the whole appriasal programme covered the entire country from Kartong to Koina.
When asked by this reporter as to how much money will be needed to undertake such an appriasal programme throughout the whole country, Ceesay responded that they rely on their Ambassadors for funding with Technical Assistance from the Action Aid The Gambia and The Gambia Red Cross.
Mr Ceesay also revealed to the Daily Observer that YAP has a close collaboration with Concern Universal, National Aids Secretariat, Action aid International and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who used to sponsor some of their programmes like sponsorship of school calendars for schools in the North Bank Region by Action aid in 2006, Concern Universal also played a key role in their quest to train community mediators in the Western Region and the training of Ambassadors Peers Peace Motivators (APPM).
He commended the UNDP for collaborating with his office during the voter education campaign in 2007 country wide. Mr Ceesay urged all Gambians and non Gambians alike to inculcate the culture of peace noting that the absence of which might have a severe blow on all. He called on the interested individuals to visit their office at Jimpex Road, Kanifing.
He noted that they believed that youths around the world get scared in their minds due to the numerous arm conflicts, civil wars, racial discrimination, political, social and economic ills. The YAP Administration and Finance Officer pointed out that as their name implies, they believed that peace is central and vital for any society to live, the absence of which, every positive under taking is brought to a standstill. Mr Ceesay also noted that peace doesnot only means the absence of war but there is also a need for us to unite and love one another, to have a peaceful mind in our society.
Commenting on their activities for the past seven years, Mr Ceesay said as an advocacy group, the Youth Ambassadors of Peace advocates for the society to nuture the culture of peace. He revealed that the Youth Ambassadors of Peace targeted the entire country of the Gambia with a fully functioning divisional coordinators across the country sensitizing their respective communities on peace.
Mr Ceesay further went on to say that peace education training has during the past seven years paid dividends in their operations as many schools in the lower to upper levels were trained on peace and the culture of peace.
On the recently concluded country wide participatory rural appriasal tour, Ceesay noted that the participatory rural appraisal by the Youth Ambassadors was purely embarked upon to reach out to the target beneficiaries on their task towards the activities conducted by the YAP during the past years. Mr Ceesay said in a nutshell that it is an overview of their programmes by the beneficiaries.
According to him, the whole appriasal programme covered the entire country from Kartong to Koina.
When asked by this reporter as to how much money will be needed to undertake such an appriasal programme throughout the whole country, Ceesay responded that they rely on their Ambassadors for funding with Technical Assistance from the Action Aid The Gambia and The Gambia Red Cross.
Mr Ceesay also revealed to the Daily Observer that YAP has a close collaboration with Concern Universal, National Aids Secretariat, Action aid International and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who used to sponsor some of their programmes like sponsorship of school calendars for schools in the North Bank Region by Action aid in 2006, Concern Universal also played a key role in their quest to train community mediators in the Western Region and the training of Ambassadors Peers Peace Motivators (APPM).
He commended the UNDP for collaborating with his office during the voter education campaign in 2007 country wide. Mr Ceesay urged all Gambians and non Gambians alike to inculcate the culture of peace noting that the absence of which might have a severe blow on all. He called on the interested individuals to visit their office at Jimpex Road, Kanifing.
Author: by Fakebba Camara
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