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Published on: Aug 11, 2009

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=25743

My name is Mohamed Kees Bangura, I am a 26 year old student at the University of the Gambia. I belong to an organization which aims to empower poor communities to be self reliant, for youth development and the reduction of early and forced marriages for girls as young as 13 years of age.

I am writing to you because I am very worried about the increasing poverty rates and of the fact that youths and professional Africans are constantly migrating to seek a better life in developed nations. I am against these issues and I need your support to address them because they are not helping to develop Africa.

Recently, we attended a youth empowerment conference and did research on African youths' and professionals' migration to developed nations. The conference was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The statistics of our results show that seven out of every ten university students who graduated last year from their various institutions have left the county. Mr. Sesay, an engineering graduate who has gone into the teaching sector, said that he has not received a single salary from the government since he joined the field to support his family three months ago.

The poverty rate in the world today is at its highest levels in Africa. This has bred violence and horrible practices in Africa, e.g. using innocent albinos' body parts to get rich or taking girls from schools and forcing them to marry as young as 13 years of age. Mariama Sillah is a victim of this practice. Her father, a very poor old man, decided she should get married when she was 13. The innocent girl accepted and obeyed her father’s decision, but she was not happy about it. She had two kids with her husband and he has passed away. She has since returned to her family with her kids. I met her and got to know her story on the day that she was going home to meet her family.

These are terrible situations that we should not allow to happen in any communities. May I respectfully suggest two possible steps that might help with theses problems? Firstly, we could help to build schools and skill centers for communities who have no access to formal or informal education. Secondly, a loan or donation of fishing vessels is supportive and creates more employment opportunities for the jobless population.

I would be very grateful if you would let me know your thoughts and proposals on these issues.

Sincerely yours,
Mohamed Kees Bangura,
International relations secretary
Youth-OAU, the Gambia
Tel. 220-7292304.

Youth Organization for African Unity
(Youth O/AU-Gambia)
منظمة الاتحاد الإفريق

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by mohamed kees Bangura
Published on: Aug 11, 2009
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=25743


My name is Mohamed Kees Bangura, I am a 26 year old student at the University of the Gambia. I belong to an organization which aims to empower poor communities to be self reliant, for youth development and the reduction of early and forced marriages for girls as young as 13 years of age. I am writing to you because I am very worried about the increasing poverty rates and of the fact that youths and professional Africans are constantly migrating to seek a better life in developed nations. I am against these issues and I need your support to address them because they are not helping to develop Africa. Recently, we attended a youth empowerment conference and did research on African youths' and professionals' migration to developed nations. The conference was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The statistics of our results show that seven out of every ten university students who graduated last year from their various institutions have left the county. Mr. Sesay, an engineering graduate who has gone into the teaching sector, said that he has not received a single salary from the government since he joined the field to support his family three months ago. The poverty rate in the world today is at its highest levels in Africa. This has bred violence and horrible practices in Africa, e.g. using innocent albinos' body parts to get rich or taking girls from schools and forcing them to marry as young as 13 years of age. Mariama Sillah is a victim of this practice. Her father, a very poor old man, decided she should get married when she was 13. The innocent girl accepted and obeyed her father’s decision, but she was not happy about it. She had two kids with her husband and he has passed away. She has since returned to her family with her kids. I met her and got to know her story on the day that she was going home to meet her family. These are terrible situations that we should not allow to happen in any communities. May I respectfully suggest two possible steps that might help with theses problems? Firstly, we could help to build schools and skill centers for communities who have no access to formal or informal education. Secondly, a loan or donation of fishing vessels is supportive and creates more employment opportunities for the jobless population. I would be very grateful if you would let me know your thoughts and proposals on these issues. Sincerely yours, Mohamed Kees Bangura, International relations secretary Youth-OAU, the Gambia Tel. 220-7292304. Youth Organization for African Unity (Youth O/AU-Gambia) منظمة الاتحاد الإفريق « return.