The Nova Scotia Gambia Association (NSGA), yesterday began a week-long training for teacher co-ordinators of peer health at school levels. 

The training which brought together 60 participants from all parts of the country, is aimed at creating awareness about health issue particularly at school levels. The training came as a result of a recently funded CIDA project entitled 'promoting gender equity and youth leadership, through health and human rights education in The Gambia'. 

Welcoming participants at the start of the training, Lamin Gibba,  the senior project manager of NSGA, said NSGA is conscious of the need to capacities and empower the young people through the peer health education programme and has developed a 3 year project proposal which attracted funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). He said NSGA has done a lot in the area of health education, especially on reproductive health, HIV/AIDs and malaria, among Gambian youths particularly in schools.

Mr Gibba then emphasised that, hardly can any project and extension of any country succeed in its drive towards achieving sustainable socio-economic development, without mainstreaming gender in its development agendas. He expressed hope that after the 3 year project implementation in the targeted 75 provincial schools in Upper River Region, Central River Region and Lower River Region, reproductive health among young people will certainly improve in these parts of the country.

For her part, Amie Colleh-Mbye, the principal education officer, Life Skills, spoke at length on the role of peer health education in communities.  She said The Gambia consists of a youthful population ranging between 15-24 years, adding that, they are the most vulnerable groups. According to her, the most effective strategic way of transmitting message is through peer health educators, as children are more comfortable in learning from their peers informally, than through formal classroom methods.  She described peer health educators as trained students, role models and volunteers prepared to share relevant informations with their peer.

Kevin Hughes, director of operations at NSGA, said much as been said about NSGA's commitment to developing the people of The Gambia through peer health education programme. He reiterated their continues commitment to meeting their goals and urged the trainees to take the discussions seriously.