Projects - Jaajoyi Development Association

Jaada’s strategy is social innovation. At the centre of this are the people living in the community where the association operates. To carry out the social innovation strategy effectively, Jaada employs strategic tools in Connection strategy, Engagement strategy and developes smart Collaborations with partners. To this end, the following projects were successfully carried out and implemented to completion.

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BACK TO THE VILLAGE ANNUAL EVENT

After its formation in 2016, Jaada sponsored two Back to the Village Annual Event Projects. The total cost of these two events was over one hundred thousand Gambia dalasi (One thousand six hundred and 12 British Pound Sterling).

The idea behind this Back to the Village Annual Event was to connect people to their roots. It was also a strategy to foster good community relationship between the people of Dasilami. The events brought and connected people who were natives but were not born in the community. They were used as an avenue to harness resources both human and financial to help develop the community.

THE SCHOOL PROJECT

This project was executed in partnership with Province West Vlaanderen through their office Wereldhuis West – Vlaanderen (Belgium). Key to Jaada’s development programes alongside Health and Agriculture is education. The Association believes there cannot be any meaningful development in the community of Dasilami without sound and quality education. And for this to happen, the foundation to such kind of education is crucial.

This was the reason why Jaada partnered with Province West – Vlaanderen through their office Wereldhuis West – Vlaanderen in a project to provide chairs and tables for the only elementary school in the community. This has improved the school’s infrastructural capacity. The project also gave a face lift to the already damaged classroom floors. The community was and still remains grateful to Province West – Vlaanderen for this kind gesture.

All these are part of Jaada’s strive and resolve to making sure the community is not left behind in terms of innovation in education, health and agriculture. Jaada believes they are the only vehicle for the community to reach self-sufficiency.

COVID-19 RESPONSE

Covid – 19 has taken the world by surprise. Governments, International and National organisations were all humbled by the disease. Resource mobilisation both physical and financial became a problem area. The advice given by experts to have items that will dispense sanitisers at private and public places became a top priority of Jaada to cater for the community of Dasilami. The disease has become a global pandemic, compelling every community to do their best to prevent and/or contain its spread. Jaada stepped up its efforts and spent eleven thousand Gambia Dalasi (one hundred and seventy British pound sterling) to handwashing stations and sanitisers. These are positioned in various locations in the community for the residents and those coming into the community from the neighbouring villages and towns to be washing their hands as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus. This has proven to be very helpful to the community with social distancing observed.

DISASTER RELIEF FUND DISBURSEMENT REPORT

On the 8th of July 2021, a severe windstorm struck many communities in North Bank Region and causing fatalities in some communities in the region. Darsilami and Barianding were heavily hit by the storm resulting to wide destruction and collapse of houses, roofs, fences, trees and NAWEC distribution poles erected in the community. The disaster caused panic and put the entire communities in despair for days. As a result of the effect of the windstorm, a rapid impact assessment was done by a concern villager to ascertain the magnitude and degree of the impact. His effort was consolidated and supported by JAAJOYI Development Association (JAADA) and a comprehensive data of victims was produced. A total of 136 houses, fences and Kitchens were affected with total or partial structural collapses.

Key Issues

Providing a mechanism to mitigate the impact of the windstorm on victims is crucial at the early stage of any disaster and cognizant of that, JAADA and NORAFRIENDS mobilized financial resources to support the 136 affected victims in both Darsilami and Barianding. A total of D468,000.00 was raised and Norafriends pulling D299,500 while JAADA contributed D169,000.
To effectively and proportionally distribute fund to the affected households, victims were classified into three categories depending on the severity of the impact.

Category 1 – houses completely collapsed with roofs blown off
Category 2 – houses partially collapsed with roofs
Category 3 – collapsed fence and kitchen

Moreover, allocation and distribution of money was therefore based on the above categories to ensure equity and fair distribution. This procedure was explained to the beneficiaries by JAADA representatives who travelled from Kombo together with those in the village. An endorsement of the plan was sought and which was affirmative held in the school ground attended by the Alkali and the Imam with cross section of the community members.

Payment of the victims proceeded starting with category 1 and each victim in this category was given D4422.00 as a coping strategy mechanism to mitigate the impact of the storm. In the same vein, category 2 victims were also each given D2116.00 while D1944.00 was allocated and given to all those in category 3.

It is important to note that this intervention by JAADA and Norafriends cannot be compared to the extent and magnitude of the disaster but it indeed salvages the suffering and despair of many of the victims who were completely in a state of destitute. Their efforts were timely and the entire community of Darsilami and Barianding were appreciative of their support by providing financial assistance when it was needed most.