LIFE HAS NO DUPLICATE

HOW OVP STARTED

OVP The Gambia, was started by a group of social work and psychology students who were totally moved by the plight of vulnerable group in the society- poorly appreciated, harassed, abandoned, neglected and often the object of several religious and social restrictions, yet made to undergo society’s greatest burdens. As these students believe that a lot could be done to enhance the lives of these people most especially the disabled, ill- health, youths, women and children as they are the most vulnerable in our society. 

They decided to come together after completing their programme in social work, and joined the challenge to help vulnerable people in our society to address the various issues that are affecting our communities in the Gambia as a whole. This organisation is registered with the government (AG Chambers) and the National Youth Council (NYC). We tend to work with all vulnerable groups in society irrespective of their tribe, race, tradition, nationality, religion, etc, to address issues of social problems like domestic violence, early child marriages, child trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse, illiteracy, teenage pregnancy, unemployment, dropout from schools, malnutrition, mental illness, etc, in our society.

We tend to work with all categories of vulnerable people in the urban and rural areas to address issues of social problems and contribute to the development of the nation as a whole, as these people have limited access to information and facilities due to poor self- perception because of poverty, low educational attainments, social and religious prejudices. We are putting plans in place to raise funds both locally and internationally to help the vulnerable participate in national development, build their confidence and empower them with skills that would make them become independent in society.

ACTIVITIES

The main activities of OVP centre on social changes and social development. These include:
A)    Social development programmes that involves education, training of children, youths and women on how to live decently and contribute to the society.

B)    Programmes that aim to reduce the level of social problems in the Gambia by raising the awareness of stakeholders through sensitization training and advocacy, this will create a holistic concept about social problems in our society. These programmes will be carried out through our community moblisation against social problems (COMASP) programme.

C)     The empowerment initiative is aimed to increase the opportunities for economic independence of vulnerable people especially children, youths, the disabled and women through support for income generating activities or capacity building.

OUR BENEFICIARIES

The targeted beneficiaries of OVP activities are:
“CHILDREN IN CONTACT AND IN CONFLICT WITH    THE LAW AND STREET CHILDREN”

The OVP recognizes that individuals and families experiencing social problems are often left to manage their difficulties without support and in the process become increasingly vulnerable in society. Vulnerability is highly prevalent with children and young people, the elderly, people living with disability and ill-health often the most affected. Vulnerability increases as factors such as poverty, low educational attainment; social and religious prejudices and poor self- perception leave people unable to assert their rights in society. The OVP is proactive in addressing issues of vulnerability; creating opportunities for dialogue with stakeholders, delivering sensitization programmes and working for the economic empowerment of the less privileged in our communities.

The OVP was formed to bring people with skills, experience, resources and the desire to help, together. The organisation aims to work together with communities to address social problems and to minimize the impact of these problems on the lives of vulnerable people. The organisation also aims to contribute to the social development of the country and the world at large. OVP is keen to gain the support of individuals and groups who have shown a commitment to social development and demonstrated leadership in advocating on behalf of vulnerable people in our society.
For the past months, the operation of the Organisation for Vulnerable People in the Gambia has expanded drastically. The organisation is trying it utmost best to attract grants from local and international donors. Because of the increasing demand on our activities, calls are made for more fiscal and procedural responsibilities by everyone involve with the organisation.

CHILDREN IN CONTACT AND IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW AND STREET CHILDREN

The organisation is putting plans in place to work with the juvenile justice system, the Gambia Police, Department of Social Welfare, Lawyers, the Health Services (hospitals), the education services, NGOs, civil society groups, the Prison Services, Tourist Police, and other bodies outside the Gambia in providing the care and support these children need for them to participate in development. Though juvenile delinquency is a complex problem that extracts a substantial and persistence tools in our society, it was highlighted during the research made that the emerging trends in our family demographics revealed that more children in this century are growing up in the streets than ever before due to poverty, single parenthood, early divorced, bereavement of either both the parents or one of them, broken homes, polygamy, etc, while donors have reduced the funding for social programmes.

Juvenile Delinquency encompasses all wrongs that are publicly committed by children. This in other words covers a multitude of different violations of legal and social norms from the stage of minor offenders to bigger crimes that are seriously committed by children (juveniles). 

As we may aware that violence against children violate their fundamental human rights in society, it is imperative as an organisation that embarks on such a programme to be able to convince individuals, groups, institutions/organisations, NGOs, etc, to commit the time, money, expertise and other necessary resources needed to address such a problem that is affecting us globally and in our society in particular. There are numbers of instruments that has been prepared by the United Nation with preference to Social rights rather than judicial approaches to control juvenile delinquency.

If we reflect our attention to the Riyadh Guidelines, it categorically stated that the prevention of juvenile delinquency plays an essential part of the overall crime prevention in society. The United Nation however, started to put in place minimum rules for the administration of juvenile justice (the Beijing Rules 1985) by making recommendations that there should be measures put in place to strengthen the juveniles over all other well being and reduce the need for state intervention. 

When an early intervention is taken, it helps in preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency. For such prevention to take place, it requires the efforts of individuals, groups, organisations aimed at keeping children away from breaking the law. In other countries the governments and other bodies interested in children used various types of methods to discourage them from delinquency and criminal behaviours. As an organisation we want to work with this type of people by implementing the following strategies/programmes:

ECONOMIC PROGRAMMES

The organisation will link up with institutions/organisations both locally and internationally to engage them in professional development programmes that will provide them with legal alternatives for income generation through the form of professional training programmes and education.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
The organisation will engage in long term training programmes in different areas to help children engage in positive self- appraisal, deal with conflict and control aggression. By organizing such programme, it will help young people to find an alternative to illegal behaviour and develop their social and cognitive skills necessary to avoid conflict and control their aggression.

RECREATIONAL AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The organisation wants to work with the Riyadh Guideline by bringing in a wide range of recreational facilities and services that interests children which are easily made accessible and established to them. We want them to fully participate and get involve in activities like sports programmes during school holiday, organise holiday camps for school going children to share good experiences or workshops during the academic calendar that will help in reducing the crime rate and teenage pregnancy in our society.


FAMILY SUPPORT
As an organisation we cannot work with children alone without involving their families (mothers in particular). This is the primary institution of socialization as the family plays an important role in the prevention of child and juvenile delinquency. Families with troubled children that include serious behaviour problems need the support of individuals, groups or institutions for them to be able to transfer positive parenting and alternative disciplinary methods to parents and their communities. As an organisation, it is our responsibility to work with the family in strategizing plans for the future of their children and allow all parties to participate in decision making processes.

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
This plays a key role in preventing juvenile delinquency and teenage pregnancy through the process of offering short term counseling, training programmes on juvenile delinquency and reproductive health, drug abuse, etc, linking them with recognized bodies like the Social Welfare and other NGOs interested in the well being of children, that will help in rehabilitating and providing educational sponsorship for potential delinquency and needy children.

220-792 0592 666-8465

703-5111 966 8465

680-6909 376 8465

gambiacharity@gmail.com