By: Alieu Jallow
Students of Dankunku Senior Secondary School in Niamina West, Central River Region South, have pledged to promote respect and equal treatment for persons living with disabilities, signalling a growing rural push for inclusion at a time when challenges remain widespread.
Across rural Gambia, persons with disabilities continue to face stigma, discrimination and significant barriers to education. The Disability Act of 2021 was created to protect their rights and guarantee equal opportunities, but practical realities remain difficult. Many schools outside urban areas still lack basic accessibility features. Special needs teachers are limited, assistive materials remain scarce, and several learning environments do not have ramps or specialised teaching aids. Misconceptions within communities also discourage families from enrolling children with disabilities in regular schools, leaving many young people isolated from education and community life.
It is within this context that ActionAid International The Gambia, together with the Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Gambia Association for the Physically Disabled, launched a community and school sensitisation campaign on the Disability Act 2021 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Dankunku Senior Secondary School was among the schools reached and students responded with firm commitment.
Yunusa Jallow, head boy of the school, said the initiative came at an important moment. He stressed that the rights enjoyed by all Gambians must extend fully to persons with disabilities and that advocacy is a shared responsibility.
He pledged to push the message beyond the school grounds.
“I will share this knowledge gained during my school assembly to enlighten my peers who were not fortunate to be part of the sensitisation. Beyond that, in my village especially the ghettos and even in the football field, I will engage youth, elderly and women, for I am an agent of change as well as serving as their ambassador out there,” Yunusa said.
Fatou Jadama, a senior counsellor, echoed the commitment. She plans to use both school and community platforms to counter negative attitudes and promote understanding.
“I look forward to using our class free period to enlighten my fellows on why we should not treat people with disability differently. I will share the importance of why we should be friends and interact. For my community also, I will leverage our Dankunku Youth Association platform to share positive messages around people living with disabilities to see the strength both of us can share,” she said.
The sensitisation campaign will continue across more communities in the region, aiming to nurture a well informed society where inclusion becomes part of everyday practice. ActionAid and its partners say the enthusiasm of students in Dankunku demonstrates that meaningful change often begins with young people who are ready to lead.
By: Alieu Jallow Students of Dankunku Senior Secondary School in Niamina West, Central River Region South, have pledged to promote respect and equal treatment for persons living with disabilities, signalling a growing rural push for inclusion at a time when challenges remain widespread. Across rural Gambia, persons with disabilities continue to face stigma, discrimination and The Fatu Network
