Our Secure Future highlights the Gambian Girls’ Platform, a 2024 recipient of the Distinguished Partners for Women, Peace and Security Award.
Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security works to support and amplify women’s engagement in global processes of peace, reconciliation, and post-conflict reconstruction. A key pillar of the Male Allies for Women, Peace and Security (MAWPS) work is to strengthen and empower grassroots organizations in conflict-affected countries. Local organizations have their fingers on the pulse of their communities; mobilize quickly and effectively at the grassroots level; work together across divides; build broad support; and create sustainable solutions.
To support grassroots activities through a trust-based model of funding, MAWPS identifies civil society groups in conflict-affected countries with established records of leadership, integrity, and trust. They work at the nexus of gender rights, health, conflict resolution and population displacement, and often adopt a more holistic approach to addressing the needs of the local population. Over the past 5 years, OSF/MAWPS has contributed over $160,000 in unsolicited small grants to local grassroots organizations. In 2024, one of those awardees included the Gambian Girls’ Platform.
Award Winner: Gambian Girls’ Platform
ChildFund supports implementation
MAWPS presented the Gambian Girls’ Platform with the Distinguished Partners for Women, Peace, and Security Award for their tremendous work on a range of topics impacting women and girls. The platform, supported by ChildFund and three local partners (Foni Ding Ding, Saama Kairo and Ding Ding Yiriwa Federation), has been in existence since 2019 with 750 girls actively participating. The platform has mostly been conducted online and focuses on a variety of issues ranging from child marriage, female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), gender-based violence (GBV), and menstrual hygiene management.
In 2024, several members of the Gambian parliament were working to repeal the ban on FGM in the 2015 Women’s (Amendment) Act. As UNICEF noted, “the proposed repeal 
of the ban on FGM, referred to as female circumcision in the 2015 Women’s (Amendment) Act, is a severe violation of human rights, and a setback in the global fight against gender-based violence. This move not only disregards the immense suffering experienced by survivors of FGM, but also undermines the progress made in raising awareness, changing attitudes, and mobilizing communities to abandon this harmful practice. It sends a message that the rights and dignity of girls and women are expendable, perpetuating a cycle of discrimination and violence that has no place in a just and equitable society.”
To help stop the repeal, the girls’ platform prioritized more meaningful engagement in advocacy around the eradication of FGM/C. This award allowed them to expand their presence and give them the flexibility to travel, build their advocacy skills, and make a difference in combatting this proposed reversal of the ban. While ultimately the ban was not repealed, there remain concerns that efforts will continue to move forward to allow those harmful practices.
To that end, the girls’ platform conducted a day long town hall with community leaders to discuss the effects of child marriage and FGM. Participants included chiefs, women leaders, health workers, youth, and traditional birth attendees, among others. The girls’ platform took the lead in the engagement and received technical support from the police child welfare officer and medical practitioner. The objectives of the convening were to inform the leaders about the legal implication of child marriage and FGM, raise the awareness of community leaders on the effects of child marriage and FGM, advocate for change of these harmful practices in the communities, and increase the parent’s awareness on their children health.
In addition, the girls’ platform hosted several trainings on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in order to equip girls with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about the prevention of unplanned pregnancies, transmission of infections, and personal hygiene. The training’s focus on hygiene helped students understand the developmental stages, reproductive health issues and the lack of access to accurate information and services – all of which can lead to early pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and gender discrimination, creating a barrier to education and adequate health services.
Finally, the girls’ platform supported a three-day sensitization training on sexual and reproductive health and GBV against women and girls in six schools. The purpose was to raise awareness among young girls about critical SRH and GBV issues to empower them with the knowledge to recognize and address these challenges. As part of the training, young girls were educated on SRH concepts, GBV and their effects on women and girls, as well as equipped with the tools to recognize and report GBV cases, and promote open dialogue on sensitive issues affecting the lives of women and girls.
The training highlighted additional needs and resulted in key recommendations for continued support including:
- Establishing a girls’ platforms in schools to promote peer-to-peer education on SRH and GBV and expand sensitization programs to more schools and communities, targeting younger girls.
- Providing menstrual pads during sessions to support girls’ menstrual health.
- Organizing local trainings on menstrual pad production to ensure sustainability and accessibility.
These interactive sessions provided valuable insights and empowered participants with knowledge to address these challenges. With the award funds, the girls’ platform was able to implement several critical trainings and discussions around the importance of FGM/C, SRH, and GBV that provided valuable insight and empowered participants with knowledge to address these challenges.
The Gambian Girls’ Platform has made tremendous progress in advancing these critical issues and ensuring a more inclusive and peaceful society. The Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace, and Security is honored to have supported their vital work. Read about past award recipients here.
