ACTIVITIES
\n\u2022 Interventions at community level with a special focus on women and children relative to COVID-19
\n\u2022 Interventions to equip frontline health workers relative to COVID-19
\n\u2022 Mental health care and psychological counseling amid COVID-19
\n\u2022 Creating awareness on COVID-19
\n\u2022 Ending\/Reduction of Gender Based Violence. Efforts towards reducing the number of women that are subjected to physical violence
\n\u2022 Empowerment of victims\/survivors of GBV
\n\u2022 Women\u2019s Empowerment proposal in agriculture<\/p>\n
RESULTS OBTAINED
\n\u2022 Madam Barrow recently launched the first ever National Gender-Based Violence Helpline 1313, as well as a Children\u2019s Hotline 199 in
\nThe Gambia. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare established these hotlines with support from development partners including UNFPA, UNICEF and CEDAG. Both hotlines were set up to facilitate the reporting and management of cases, and to also respond to the needs of victims of violence such as rape, intimate partner violence and assault, among others. Services offered such as psychosocial,
\nfirst aid and counselling in response to users of the helplines, will go a long way in helping survivors recover from the trauma they experienced and help them reintegrate into their normal lives. The response has been overwhelming as women have been empowered and emboldened to reach out for help.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The protection and facilities for victims of GBV is a major challenge. Therefore, three centres for survivors of domestic and\/or gender based
\nviolence are being established and\/ or refurbished. Sewing machines have been donated to help GBV victims\/survivors learn and develop skills that would help them to earn a decent living and lead to sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Women\u2019s economic empowerment is the foundation for their overall development. As a possible solution for promoting women\u2019s
\nempowerment, an agricultural scheme\/ proposal has been developed and is currently under review, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and a local technical partner. If successful, the scheme seeks to empower rural women in the Gambia to take advantage of the transformational opportunities in local rice production. It is designed to recruit, train, support and integrate 30,000 rural women into the rice value chain over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\t\t