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UNFPA Boss: Access to Family Planingg Reduces Maternal Mortality

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UNFPA Boss, Ndeye Rose Sarr Group Picture of Stakeholders  Ndeye Rose Sarr, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative has reminded all stakeholders advocating and promoting for the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of Women, Girls and adolescent youth that access to Family Planning Services reduces Maternal and Infant Mortality. She was speaking during the SMART advocacy workshop organized by her office in collaboration with UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office held at the Ocean Bay Hotel in Cape Point Bakau from 28 th -31 st May 2024. The workshop aims to strengthen advocacy around UNFPA supplies’ new financing model, which supports countries in increasing domestic financing for quality-assured Reproductive Health and Family Planning Commodities. “Family planning saves lives by preventing maternal deaths and reducing infant mortality. Access to family planning services can prevent up to one-third of all maternal deaths and reduce infant
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Gambana: the Fight against Caste & Descent Based Slavery in URR

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meeting with the Gambana community in Koina meeting with the Gambana community in Garawol  mosque built by the Gambana community in Koina GFoD delegation with th Gambana community  On Monday evening, the 13thof May 2024, the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent Delegation set out on a journey of 424.5 kilometres from Banjul to Garawol and Koina in the Upper River Region of the Gambia through the South Bank Road. The Delegation spent the night at Basse and on Tuesday Morning, the Journey to meet with the Gambana People in the Sarahulleh (Soninke) Communities of Garawol and Koina Began. The visit was meant to gather first-hand information about the trials and tribulations the communities are faced with in their bid to free themselves from caste and descent-based slavery.  The team visited Garawol and Koina and the meeting was attended by Men, Women and children of a community bleeding in their hearts because they were being oppressed for saying No to a tradition
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Womb Watchers: Stop, It Hurts

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Getty image On the 3rd day of Koriteh Eid-al-Fitr, my Friend Nyima and her sister Tima came to see me so we were busy in the kitchen cooking boiled chicken served with vermicelli. As we were chatting, discussing our various businesses and how to increase sales on Social Media, we had a commotion between one of my neighbours in the compound and an outside neighbour. My Neighbour Fatou was yelling on top her voice saying "What right do you have to come here and tell me to my face that since my husband is around, I should get pregnant? You think because Allah gave you children, you are better than me."  The outside neighbour was just laughing and saying she was joking and did not mean it that way.  Then we notice a cold terrifying look on Tima's face. I turned my attention to her and asked, babe are you okay? She looked at me with tears in her eyes and she smiled. She said, I am fine, it's just that I can relate to her pain. She sighed, took a deep breath in and out and
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The Sermon: A wife should treat a Husband like a vegetable

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  PC:Getty Image It was a chilly evening. I closed late from work, coupled with the traffic congestion along the Westfield-Brikama Highway. My head felt heavy and my eyes were sore from staring at the screen of my laptop. Upon reaching home, it was almost time for Maghreb prayer and I performed ablution and prayed. I decided to dish food and silenced the grumbling sound in my stomach. While sitting at the diner, I took my phone to log in to TikTok to browse through videos entertain myself, and maybe laugh a bit from the funny videos I will stumble upon. All of a sudden, a religious video popped up and the message was what attracted me to it. He is a Gambian preacher and he was preaching about marital issues between a Husband and Wife. My name is Bintou Camara and I have been married for 5 years with two kids. I am a working-class woman, heading Communications at an NGO and my Husband is into Construction. We both manage our time well and take turns helping out with the household and
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I Chose Contraceptive Implant against Breastfeeding Vacation

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PC: Getty Image My name is Tida Manneh, I was in my early 20s when I got married to the love of my life, Dodou Cham from Brufut, West Coast region of the Gambia. He was in his late 30s and he is from an extended family. All the sons of the Cham Family reside in the Family compound with their wives to honor the dying wishes of their late father. When I gave birth to my first, a boy. My mother-in-law informs me that I am now relieved of all domestic chores and after the naming ceremony, they will excuse me to go and stay with my mother to breastfeed my son. She said I should treat it as a vacation and rest.   I was shocked by the news and I wondered why would my mother-in-law think that I wanted to go on vacation when I was still supposed to be on my honeymoon. My husband and I have been married for one year and I am still very young and sexually active so why do I have to stay away from my man? Boom! I started dripping in cold sweats, my imagination running wild. Are they getting my
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Tabaa: My Quest for a Better Sex Life

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PC : Getty Image I wake up drenched in water. My clothes were soaked and I felt cold. I was lying on the floor in my bedroom and when I managed to open my eyes, they were hazy. I tried to lift my head but it felt heavy accompanied by an excruciating pain. I felt dizzy and nauseated and before I knew what was happening, I started vomiting emptying everything I had eaten for the day until only bile was left. My eyes cleared and I finally took a good look around my surroundings when I heard the distressed voice of my Teenage daughter sobbing and calling out to me "Mom are you okay." I nodded and looked up at her face drenched in tears. Her eyes were swollen and I could tell that she was crying for hours. My name is Jai Saidy. I live in Bakau, a coastal town in the Gambia. I am a middle-aged woman in my late 30s. I am blessed with four Kids, three boys, and a girl. My boys are in their early 20s and my girl is 15 years old.  I was the most sought-after babe in town during my pri
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Gambia Judiciary: Listen to the Cry of Divorced Women

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PC: Getty Images It was another day, a hectic but daily routine for me as a single mother. I wake up at 4 am, do laundry, iron my children's uniforms, prepare porridge for breakfast, and dash into the bathroom to take a quick shower. By 5 a.m., I rushed out of the house and asked my eldest daughter to lock the door. I hail a vehicle on the highway and head to Brikama to meet with the women gardeners who sell vegetables wholesale. I reached Brikama after 6 a.m., bought my goods, and decided to roam the market and sell them so that by10 a.m., I would be able to go to the Brikama Magistrate Court to collect the Child Maintenance money for my kids and do some grocery shopping since we are out of foodstuff.   Luckily, I was able to sell everything before 10 a.m. When I got to the accountant's office, I smiled and greeted him explaining the reason for the visit.  I am sorry, but you can no longer receive the monthly child maintenance money in cash from us because we received a memo s
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