DON'T FORGET FULA BANTANG!

Fula Bantang Youth Development Association seems to be triumphant mood entering the second cycle of its growth and intellectual development. During its impromptu meeting over the weekend, the group regrouped some of its founding fathers to discuss the future of an organisation that evolved from a mere entertainment club.

       History
The Association's overriding objective to contribute towards the development of its members, the village and the nation by extension. It was founded mostly by light-minded friends who were age mates in March 2002 in the city. The boys after completing formal education in the village prefer to continue their studies in the city, which was why, the 1990s saw a dramatic shift in rural-urban migration.
Like in most Gambian villages where the rural-urban migration has taken a huge toll on the populace, Fula Bantang saw most of its young minds taken away to the Kombos in the name of western education since the 1940s.
Success, according to our findings had been elusive, in other words, clubs emerged and clubs disappeared. 'Never has there been any dull moment where the need for unity is not expressed by its members, ' said a founding member of the group.
Despite its shortcomings apparently due to the lack of initiative and steam to spur meaningful action in recent times, the group was set up in March 2002.

  Development programmes

Set up against the backdrop of a 'foreign environment' where one has to fend for oneself, the boys who were together in the village decided to reunite and help themselves. The organisation operational need was felt and quickly the boys put on their thinking caps and this group was born.
The National Aids Secretariat through its regional office in CRR, approved our proposal to organise a sensitization workshop for our members in the village in 2003. For the first time, the organisation can now talk to everyone in the village thanks to the magnified voice it got as a result of the sensitization programme which enabled us to talk eyeball to eyeball to our fathers, mothers, sisters, brother and uncles and aunts.

The second cycle

FYDA beleive the second cycle is trying to first of all to restructure the group and make it effective and effecient. Under this cycle, the group is trying to assert: 'Look, this time around, we hope it will be different in a positive way'.

Pending projects

The village development garden remains one of the yet-to-take-off development projects in the village. The market is a eye-sore, people are still surprise why the Thursday lumo is still being observed. The group, this time around should focus its attention to the market.

Commitment

Time and tide waits for no one. The group had thoroughly debated and agreed that commitment should be the buzzword.