Amadou Jobe, like many other Gambians before him, embarked on a perilous journey through northern Africa, in a failed bid to reach Europe. Now, with the support of the UN, he is making a life for himself and his family back home.
When it comes to climate action, The Gambia can proudly lay claim to being the first country to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreements.
But, like all developing countries, its people are suffering disproportionately from the effects of the climate crisis, particularly more unpredictable rainfall, and flooding.
Women in The Gambia face high levels of female genital mutilation (FGM), period poverty (an inability to afford menstrual hygiene products), and domestic violence. In an interview with UN News, Ndeye Rose Sarr, the head of the UN reproductive and sexual health agency (UNFPA) in the country, underlines the challenges they face, and the efforts the UN is making to address the issues.
Many women and girls in The Gambia are affected by “period poverty”, meaning that they are unable to afford menstrual products, which puts them at risk of infection, and discourages them from attending school.
In the second of our Lid Is On episodes recorded in The Gambia, one of the world’s least developed countries, Conor Lennon from UN News heads to Basse, in the rural Upper River Region, to find out how the UN is addressing period poverty, and providing employment for vulnerable women and girls.
Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa
Seraphine Wakana, the UN Resident Coordinator in The Gambia, is coming to the end of her mandate. In this blog, she reflects on her experience over the last five years, which have seen the country emerge from a long period of authoritarian rule.
The Gambia, the smallest country on the African mainland, and one of the least developed countries in the world, has been going through a transition to full democracy since 2017, the end of a two-decade long dictatorship.
In rural areas of The Gambia, job opportunities are scarce, but villagers like Guidom Sabally are benefiting from practical training, gaining recognized qualifications, and setting up successful small businesses in their communities.
Thousands of Senegalese have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in The Gambia, after clashes broke out earlier this year, in parts of Senegal occupied by separatists. The UN is providing psychological support for many of those displaced, who are coping with the fact that a return home is an uncertain prospect.
After two decades of dictatorship, The Gambia is on the road towards democracy and respect for human rights, The UN is working closely with the government on this journey, a process that involves facing up to the country’s violent past.