Yankuba Manneh, the project manager of the Casamance Peace Building Project at Saint Joseph’s Family Farm in Bwiam, has said that the project has made significant impacts on the lives of the communities in the Senegalese southern region of Casamance.

In an interview with the Daily Observer recently, Manneh said the overall objective of the project is to encourage socio-economic development in  Casamance through the negotiation of political settlement to the ongoing conflict in the region. He said there are series of activities that the project is engaging on, among them information sharing and networking with stakeholders, to ensure that the objectives of the project are achieved. These, he said, enables them to get information and create an enabling environment to reach out to the people. “This is very important because if you don’t have information, it would be dangerous to work in Casamance. So we operate under the directive and advice of these stakeholders,” he said.

He opined that it is good to bring people together for them to resolve their burning issues by themselves and forge ahead for the betterment of society. “We also organised children summer camps, because we strongly believe that children play a very instrumental role in peace negotiation process and they should not be marginalised,” he added.

Manneh said the children come from different backgrounds, and gathering them under one platform always enables them to discuss issues that impede development in their communities. He explained that there is also a component of cultural activities in the project that creates a forum for people to come together and showcase their talents. “During such a time, different people have the opportunity to see each other and share ideas and discuss on issues pertinent to the development of their various areas,” he said.

He disclosed that they also provide both returnees and refugees with seeds and farming implements to enable them venture into agricultural activities. “We also engage in the rehabilitation of social structures like wells and schools. We go to schools and communities to sensitise them on the importance of peace and the prevention of HIV/AIDS, because these are important areas for people in war zones to learn more about,” he said.