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he could instead sit down and discuss with her. ”It is like I have a new wife now,” he said; and when we drove away from the village, he was standing at the side of the road, his arm around his wife, smiling. When asked about enforcement, responses varied. In one community in URR, respondents said that ”If people insist on practicing [FGM] we cannot stop them, but it seems that they aren’t.” In other communities (in URR and CRR), the councils of elders insisted that ”we are policing around” and that no one in the community could get away with either FGM , domestic violence, or giving their underage daughter away in forced marriage. Clearly, the concrete reductions in such practices remain to be seen, but the evaluator still perceives the sentiments expressed during the field visit as radically different from what was said ten years ago. A number of circumcisers professed that they were relieved to no longer have to practice FGM. One circumciser’s assistant in Wuli exclaimed: ”This is one burden I no longer have to carry!” Many mentioned that they were ready to participate in a Dropping of the Knife ceremony, and there was some indication that if this does not come to pass they may not start practicing again but will feel that they have been marginalized vis-a-vis their colleagues who participated in the first such event. Likewise, there was a lot of discussion about the equitable distribution of AEOs (again, not one of the activities funded by this project), which ranges from seed money (D10,000) for small businesses (such as soap making, tie and dye, or having a freezer to sell ice blocks and cold drinks) to raising cattle (in communities where it is not seen as appropriate for women to engage in trade). GAMCOTRAP make it very clear that such support is limited and not ongoing over time, but it seems to have significant symbolic importance, especially as ngangsingbgas are aware of others who have ”received something.” All former circumcisers were trained and supported by TANGO staff in planning and implementing their AEO. Also, male circumcisers were an important target group reached, as they tend to be the husbands of female circumcisers and it is crucial to gain their support of abandonment. Objectives Met as Proposed As is evident from the Data on Activities document (Appendix 4), all sub-goals (with one exception mentioned below) have been met or exceeded. As the expectation was stated in the original proposal, there were also of spill-over effects from the training activities. For example, in Damphakunda, on the evening of the first training day, a council of elders who were not part of the training but had heard about it, convened on their own and decided to join the project. Also, in several communities (Sutukoba, Garawol, Suduwol, Arrangel) chiefs took it upon themselves to advocate for the project in their own networks of chiefs from communities that have not been directly targeted by training. In Garawol, the council of elders planned their own follow-up meeting after the training and set up a ”community law” against FGM and early marriage and implemented ”policing” enforcement mechanisms. Video materials were reviewed during the evaluation and were found to have exceeded what was planned in the proposal, which was merely documentation for the purposes of institutional memory rather than the production of actual films. The one sub-goal that was found not to have been met (as funding ended up not being available after budget revisions) was the video screenings in 12 community halls. Interviews with staff at Mutapola revealed successful collaboration with the advocay group for women living with HIV/AIDS, having established nine networks (exceeding the proposed goal of 7). This work has particularly strengthened a gender-sensitive approach to HIV/AIDS awareness, as Mutapola is an advocacy organization specifically targeting the unique challenges and needs of women living with the virus. It was also pointed out by the CBF from Foni during the dissemination partner meeting that this project has lent a gender perspective to all development projects in the area – ”if anyone comes with a project, the women will ask how it affects them.” 22
A group interview with a members of a youth group in south Kombo indicated that these youth are actively engaged and feel that they are receiving adequate support from GAMCOTRAP. All 15 proposed drama groups were trained, although GAMCOTRAP points out that it is difficult to know how many are still operating. TANGO representatives spoke of GAMCOTRAP as a model NGO. Unanticipated Outcomes GAMCOTRAP staff and many interviewed beneficiaries expressed that the most surprising development of this project is how quickly change seems to recently have taken on its own momentum, and that they had honestly not expected this change to take place during their own lifetimes. The three videos that ended up being produced were not planned. When training traditional communicators, there was the unexpected result of original songs and dances spontaneously being created by women for the campaign. Many more ngangsingbas than anticipated committed to dropping their knives. An indirect outcome during the project period was the successful efforts to save foreign-born, Gambian girls from FGM and other harmful traditional practices when sent home for holidays. From 2006 to 2008, GAMCOTRAP received requests related to cases from the following countries: Spain 3 Germany 1 United States 3 United Kingdom 3 Norway 2 Netherlands 2 Total 14 Some of the potential victims were brought to The Gambia and others were in Europe and the United States at the time the request was received. Meanwhile, during the same period, 2006 – 2008, nine local cases were also reported to GAMCOTRAP, relating to FGM, early and forced marriages, rights to inheritance, and gender based violence. Women are counselled by GAMCOTRAP staff and given moral support to stand and say no to violence and any form of abuse. Their stories are used as case studies and testimonies on violence against women. In one instance during the training workshop in Damphakunda, there was the unanticipated outcome of a battered woman reporting the case to GAMCOTRAP staff and then the police, and the community holding an open discussion about domestic violence. Challenges and Adaptations While important gains were being made with former circumcisers abandoning the practice, there is an emergent threat of foreign circumcisers from the sub-region increasingly taking on the role 23
Page 1: Gambia Committee on Traditional Pra
Page 4 and 5: Acronymes AEO AIDS CBF CBO CPA CRR
Page 6 and 7: evaluation found that all the secon
Page 8 and 9: findings were discussed, along with
Page 10 and 11: the Situation of Women and Children
Page 12 and 13: concern for women’s sexuality. A
Page 14 and 15: In the absence of anti-FGM legislat
Page 16 and 17: appropriate strategy to specific co
Page 18 and 19: effective public speakers with flue
Page 20 and 21: to upgrade their skills and awarene
Page 24 and 25: of practising FGM, especially in th
Page 26 and 27: while calling for improved dialogue
Page 28 and 29: The specific goal of this project w
Page 30 and 31: Participatory observation of projec
Page 32 and 33: 14. [December 3] Meeting in Mansaya
Page 34 and 35: 46. [December 7] Interview with Ami
Page 36 and 37: After the group meeting in Mannekun
Page 38 and 39: The Gambia River between Basse and
Page 40 and 41: Makka Masireh meeting in alkalo’s
Page 42 and 43: Suduwol meeting, young former circu
Page 44 and 45: Tambasangsang kanyelengs. Fanta wen
Page 46 and 47: Mabally Kuta (a Mandinka/Jahanka co
Page 48 and 49: Kerewan Samba Sirreh in the
Page 50 and 51: February 24-26, 2009: Dissemination
Page 52 and 53: Appendix 4 Activities completed fro
Page 54 and 55: Appendix 6: Contributions from othe

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