The Building a Future: Make it in The Gambia project promoted a “Sport for Development” training on April 11, 2019, sponsored by Steve Harknett, a specialist in Sport for Development and Peace from United Purpose (UP).
The aim of this training was to raise awareness of the Sport for Development and Peace concept and to discuss its application within the framework of the Make it in The Gambia – Tekki Fii project.
Initially planned to train the project´s team, the training was open to representatives of relevant stakeholders, once it is a pioneer training and it is in accordance with the spirit of cooperation and sustainability of the project. In addition to IMVF, the UP and the Agency for the Development of Women and Children (ADWAC), the National Sports Council, the National Youth Council, and the regional sports officials were also present.
According to Steve Harknett, “this project aims to demonstrate how sport can contribute to the development and to the achievement of the SDGs”. This is an important and innovative tool for the promotion of key skills among young people through encouraging greater participation and commitment to rural development. It also contributes to the promotion of values such as tolerance and respect and to the empowerment of women, young people, individuals, and communities.
The Tekki Fii project led by IMVF will allow the implementation of a sports development programme for the first time in The Gambia, benefiting from the vast experience accumulated by the UP in this field in several other countries.
The Building a Future programme is an initiative of the Government of The Gambia financed by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF for Africa), with the aim to increase the economic and social opportunities available for young Gambians, especially in the rural areas of the country.
The programme is implemented by the International Trade Center (ITC), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Portuguese Cooperation and the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel).
IMVF ensures the implementation of the Programme component attributed to the Portuguese Cooperation – this is the first project of Portuguese Cooperation and IMVF in The Gambia – in partnership with ADWAC, Alianza por la Solidaridad and UP.
This project aims to contribute to the promotion of sustainable agribusiness value chains and to promote the strengthening of social cohesion through the activities of local organizations and the implementation of social/recreational infrastructures, with a focus on sport.