In the framework of an atmosphere of satisfaction for the good results obtained, the graduation ceremony of the participants in the “No Woman Left Behind” project was held in Gambia on November 26, 2021.
To this end, the ITTOG organized an authentic gala ceremony, with the participation of all the students, teachers, tutoring and mentoring staff and local and national authorities.
During the event, the students were given the diplomas certifying that they have completed the three modules of the training course that the ITTOG has taught this 2021 among a group of Gambian women from a situation of extreme vulnerability.
The modules have been: training for the preparation and marketing of local gastronomy products, introduction to the management of responsible and sustainable tourism businesses and empowerment in matters of human rights and gender. Now, with the diploma already in hand, the participants in the project are receiving personalized mentoring sessions to facilitate their access to the job market.
Graduation ceremony with Gambian and international personalities s
The number graduation ceremony was held at its location at the West African Insurance Institute (WAII) premises. It featured the 28 women who are part of the “No Woman Left Behind” (NWLB) project. This year, the Institute graduated a total of 188 students in different fields of study, 90% women.
In his speech, the director of the School, Sheikh Tejan Nyang, mentioned the fact that the NWLB project is the first of its kind in The Gambia that has linked skills development with the training of socially excluded women as responsible and sustainable professionals for tourism businesses in The Gambia, while promoting the exercise of their human and gender rights.
She emphasized that the NWLB project promotes economic, environmental and gender justice. Economic justice through training in restoration skills in order to promote the employment of these women. Gender justice empowering them to know their rights and have more confidence in themselves. Environmental justice through the promotion of small sustainable and responsible tourism businesses that they will lead or manage after their training. The project aims to promote tourism that uses local services and infrastructures that are respectful of nature and indigenous culture, as opposed to mass tourism.
The president of the ITTOG Board and local director of the NWLB, Dr. Adama Bah, emphasized the need for ITTOG to assume the responsibility of educating in a tourism that seeks widespread and fair distribution of economic and social benefits, including local improvement. prosperity, quality of life and social equity. “A model of tourism – he said – that should be a positive and beneficial experience for both travelers and hosts in order to act as a force for mutual understanding and respect”.
In short, a tourism that guarantees responsible management of resources, that addresses negative impacts and respects environmental and cultural capacities: “this is what the NWLB project is experiencing with the NWLB project”, he concluded.
The guest speaker, Fatou Jagne Senghore, head of the West African regional office of ARTICLE 19 based in Dakar, and with more than 20 years of experience working on Human Rights in Africa with civil society and governments, congratulated the graduates and encourage ITTOG to continue the good work it is doing.
She asked the graduates to take the opportunity seriously and make sure they put the lessons learned in the project to good use. She also appealed to the general public present to support the women in their quest for an egalitarian society based on respect and partnership for the development of The Gambia.
The event was also used for the delivery of certificates to personalities recognized for their contribution to the development of the tourism sector. ITTOG has recognized eighteen personalities over the years for their contribution to the development of the tourism sector in The Gambia. The award ceremony is an annual event that aims to recognize six people in the industry each year.
The ceremony was attended by parents, guidance, sponsors and dignitaries. Among them, the representative of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Kajali Sonko, the representative of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Touray, the Ambassador General of The Gambia to Hungary, Mr. Gulyas, the Director of the Insurance Institute of West Africa, Fredrick Boye John , as well as Samba Batch Faye , Chairman of the Gambia Tourism Board and Reymond Mouser , Country Director International Trade Center/Project youth empowerment, among other dignitaries.
The NWLB project is implemented by ITTOG with the Ethnic Association of Catalonia, in collaboration with the Gender Platform. The project is co-financed by the Catalan Agency for Cooperation and Development.
The students have been trained in Culinary Arts (Cooking, Pastry and Food Preparation), Food Safety, Human Rights and Responsible/Sustainable Tourism as part of a training program that has lasted throughout 2021.
