Monrovia – The United Funding and Development for Underage Mothers (UFDUM) has turned over three motorbikes to three Civil Society Organizations to enhance their work in eliminating gender-based violence in Montserrado, Nimba, and Grand Capemount Counties.
The Aiding Disadvantaged and Traumatized Women and Girls in Nimba County, the Community Development Initiative in Grand Cape Mount County, and the Assistance for Providing Aid in Montserrado County are the three co-implementing partners of the project. They are legally registered and are based in their respective counties.
A one year project, funded by the United Nations and the European Union, is aiming at achieving Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 that talks about achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Speaking during the turing over ceremony on Thursday, July 9, at the office of the United Funding and Development for Underage Mothers on Camp Johnson, the Executive Director Abdul Bangura called on the three co-implementing partners to use the motorbikes reduce the number of gender-based violence in the respective counties.
According to the United Funding and Development for Underage Mothers Executive Director, the key component of the project is to eliminate sexual gender-based violence in the three counties.
“What the UN and the EU have done is to support this program so that we as CSOs will be able to work with them to end all forms of violence against women, girls, and children in the country,” he said.
Bangura added: “We have decided to work with other partners in other counties. Montserrado, Grand Capemount, and Nimba are the three counties we are dealing with now.”
According to the United Funding and Development for Underage Mothers Executive Director, the three co-implementing partners will cover 50 communities in their respective counties.
“For them to reach out to these 50 communities in their respective counties and talk about the simplified comprehensive strategy to help people effectively address gender-based violence issues in their respective communities is the reason why we solicited the support from the EU and the UN,” Mr. Bangura said.
“We already have a comprehensive prevention strategy document. It’s a very voluminous document with over 30 or more pages and we decided to put together this document so that it becomes user friendly.
“We have not only simplifies this document, but we have also used some visual art so that people will see the visual art and at the same time they will better comprehend the messages in the comprehensive strategy.”
Also speaking on behalf of the three organizations, the Executive Director of the Assitance for Providing Aid, George N. Kingsley praised both the UN and the EU for easing the burdens of their work, espeacially during the rainy season.
“We know that the time is hard and our weather constraints make the road more difficult for us. The motorbikes will help us reduce the sexual gender-based violence in our respective counties,” Kingsley said.