BA'LAL RURAL EMPOWERMENT & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (BRESDI)

 The Association of Ba'lal Foundation has a whole day session with two officials from the US Embassy Banjul office to discuss about the importance of education and critirias observed when apply for student visas. In his welcoming the program officer of the Ba'lal Foundation and Administrative Officer (A0) of Silicon Institute of Technology and Professional Studies welcome the visitor and empress his happiness for the visitor to choose balal foundation the Parent body of Silicon Institue as the venue. he added this is the first of its kind for to witness such a gathering like this for team to live the kombos and come to the grass root and sensitize the youths and student on issues like education and visas. On his side Pa Education adviser at the Embassy first started emplaining the book donated by them to the Ba'lal Foundation Public Library on how to locate and apply schools in the US. Joshua S. Shrager Public Affairs Officer in his presentation express the importance of Crediting Maths and English as universal subject to be accepted by good universities in the US. 

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Association of Ba’lal Foundation, the parent body of Silicon Institute of Technology and Professional Studies has launched a multi-subject public library, at its headquarters in Jarra Soma on Thursday 14th March.

The foundation team, which has installed in the library bookshelves over three hundred and eighty books of a wide range of subjects and fields, including language and literature, science and technology, humanities and history, health and the environment, would make them available to the public.

The creation of the library, according to Amadou Bah, the Programme Officer of Ba’lal Foundation cum Executive Director of Silicon Institute is along the status core of his foundation.

He recalled that Ba’lal Foundation was encouraged to launch Silicon Institute of Technology and Professional Studies in June 2012, in response to the growing need of knowledge on basic information technology among the rural people.

“We aim to overturn the eighty-seven per cent illiteracy record in the area of information technology for these people as highlighted by the United States Peace Corps, supported survey by Ba’lal Foundation in Lower River Region in 2009-2010,” he said.

He described the library as a complementary project which intends to dictate a permanent culture of reading and research for people, especially students. “We have gone far in our plans to collaborate with schools in the creation of reading and research clubs for schools across LRR. It is also our wish to develop Information technology programmes in these schools,” Mr. Bah said.

Abubacarr Nyabally, Principal of Tahir Ahmadiyya Muslim Senior Secondary School said the launch of a new library in the Lower River Regional Town would help to emancipate the people from the illiteracy age. “Education has been far away from us for quite a long time and as a result, everybody keeps saying that LRR is the most backward region,” he said.

Mr. Nyabally urged the youth to enroll to the library clubs with confidence and trust on its resourcefulness.

Lamin Saidy, Lower River Regional Disaster Coordinator, who represented the Regional Governor at the meeting hailed the project. He observed that with the kind of team work and focus by the Association of Ba’lal Foundation, both the citizens of the regions and those posted there can better their lives at a convenient pace. He assured them of the full support of the administrative unit of the LRR regional authority.

Thomas Stable, grandson of Sally Reader, the Chief Administrator and Donor of Friends of Gambian Schools (FROGS), expressed pleasure for receiving the honour to cut the ribbon key to the library with scissors. He said the library is hoped to add value to the work of Ba’lal Foundation in the region.

Ba'lal Foundation is awarded as the best local Association setup by Gambian youth to promote IT educetion. At the Paradise Suite Hotel in 2012 December 8th

The Ba'lal Foundation is currently working on a Public library in Soma with a British who is funding the whole project. This is one of its kind in the history of Soma, having a public library. They have already been provided with books and before the end of this month the library will be funtional.

As we the Ba'lal Foundation said, only education is our believe in change from poverty to great wealth we decided to look for help to build a library in Soma for the first time.We will be still looking for other peoples, companies and organisations help in providing a quality education to the children of Lower River Region.

Jarra West have about 7 primary schools, 3 junior secondary schools and 2 high school we find it very important to have a library because many are going to school but cannot read.

Ba'lal Foundation was recommended for the best Foundation in Rural Gambia because of its intervention in promoting Information Communication Technology in the most remote part of the country The Gambia.

Since it esterblishment it has train more than 300 people on Information Technology and most of them are girls. We train on introduction to computers, Microsoft office word, Microsoft office excel, Electronic communication on how to use the internet.

This is something that was seen as the biggest move by stakeholders in rural Gambia. It is a foundaton that is not only recommended in The Gambia alone but even in the international countries. Some of our technical tutors are from  Peace corp. The Gambia, which has help us to be more recommended.

The Ba'lal Foundation offers free classes to all their members. It is a question always people ask ,how do they raise more to be able to offer free classes. It has link with pepole who are supporting in either cash or kindness and its executive members contribute to fund some of its activities

THE AWARD NIGHT BY UNV AND VOLNET, SUPPORTED BY UNDP.

The award was receive on behave of Ba'lal Foundation by The web Administrator Alhasan Bah and The Deputy Secretry Fatou L Dibba at Paradise suite Hotel. The delegates present were UNV programmed officer, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Youth and Sport, professors from The Gambia University, The wife of the late Dr. Cora Faye who was a great contributor in volunteerism in the GAmbia, Gambia Women Lawers Association, individual volunteers, Musicians like Jaliba Kuyateh and stakeholders from parastatals.

The first speaker was the Volnet chair person Mr. Adama Beyai who spoke on the brief history of the Volnet and the reason of esterblishing it, according to him volunteerism has been going on since the begining of mankind but some were not recommended and they find it very much important to atless set up a body that will give a back slap to people who have volunteer to make a changes in their communities.The theme of the award was Volunteers Award Night 2012. About 20 Associations were awawrded in different areas and Ba'lal Foundation was awarded for being the most outstanding in the service they offer in the community as far as the global development is on going.

The second to speak was The UNV Program Officer who talk on behave of the United Nation Volunteers. She said is a day which is set aside by the United Nation Volunteers as International Volunteers day, she spoke on the reasons for awarding volunteers. She also said it has been a tradition in many countries, religions and cultures to render your services to your friend, neibour and even community without expecting any payment it is volunteering. She laminted on the need for people to respect volunteers and recommend their services as very much important in our society.

She finally thank all the volunteery Association present at the award night and heal them for their great work for human kind and asked them to continue on the great work they are doing for their communities.

Finally awawrds were given to ndividual volunteers, Foundations, National Associations, International Association.

BA’LAL FOUNDATION AWARDS GRADUATE CEREMONY

The Ba'lalfoundation in Soma town, Jarra West District, Lower River Region on Sunday 2ndDecember, 2012, has made an award presentation ceremony on the school ground atthe Silicon Institute of technology and Professional Studies. SiliconInstitute was founded by Ba'lal foundation based in Soma 2 years ago.

Mr. Alhasan Bah, the web manager of the foundation, gave abrief introduction of the foundation. He said that the foundation was initiatedin June 2011.

The aims and objectives of the foundation are to equip andupgrade young children with the requisite knowledge of computer. Their visionis to motivate to upgrade young children in high literacy rate in Informationand Communication Technology (ICT) in the Gambia, with a view to creating awareness andenlightening people on the importance of computer in the modern world throughthe motto "try to leave this world a better place than you found it".

Mr. Lamin Saidy, the regionaldisaster coordinator representing the regional governor LRR, Expresseshis pleasure to stand before the gathering. Saidy talked about the importanceof adult literacy as a key in the challenges of leadership; noting that youthsare the future leaders of this nation and their plight should be given dueconsideration. He said that such initiatives will minimize illegal migration ofyoung people of the Gambia. He advices the graduates to be role models andexamples to their fellow students at their various schools andwork places.

Mr. Amadou Bah, the executive director of Silicon Instituteand the programme officer of Ba'lal Foundation, on his part rephrased that theywere the founders of this association with international

Volunteers, Jacob Cokn and Sarah Cokn. Bah reiterated thegoals of the foundation, saying that they did not only advocate for computerliteracy but also leadership and management skills. He said that they alsoprovide scholarship scheme for needy students who wished for education inskills development, promoting horticultural gardening, create awareness on ICTand the facilitation of e learning for the youths of the Region. He promised tooffer 50 students with scholarship within the civil service and 12 needystudents within the region.

Mr. Lamin Danso, Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) representative,region four, also expresses his delight in seeing young teachers in such initiative. Headvised the graduates to make the best use of the computer Knowledge gained.

The ba'lal foundation meet with the National Volunteers Network The Gambia and the main topic of the discussion was how to raise awareness on the importance of volunteerism and how to recomend their effort in human development.

  According to some of the speakers volunteerism is as old as man but most a time they are not recognise and are not rewarded or thank for the effort they made. As VOLNET they came to change the way things have been going in the pass. They are volunteers for change and real, they will be here operating hand in gloves with all voluntary organisations in the country to make sure the little effort they made is seen and reconmended.

The Ba'lal foundation and other organisations invited assured the VOLNET members they have really appreciated what they said and will fully support it in it's road to building a better place for volunteerism as Ba'lal it self is opperating on volunteerism.

The volunteers of the Association of Ba'lal Foundation has held a set-setal at the silicon institute of technology and professional studies, all this is geered towards contributing to the education and environment of the learners.

The Silicon instituteof technology will be offering free basic computer training for the volunteers of the association of ba'lal foundation during the summer holidays at the school ground in soma at the school.

This is the first and only computer school in the rural Gambia that offers class to people who have never seen a computer and never used a computer in their life. It will be training more than 100 members free, this include students and non going school people.

This is intended to increase the number of inter net users in the rural Gambia, because for example in Soma where the school is, there are about 6 colleges a high school, 3 upper basic schools and 7 lowre basic schools. Marjority are computer iliterate, so offering this great chance will be very useful to the town and its surronding.

                                                                             RADIO PROGRAMME

Ba'lal foundation has conducted a radio programme on how they emback on their activities and what they intend to offer to their family members.

It has been a week since some of its members started the free computer classes they were promise and the executive decided to visit the Silicon Institute of technology and professional Studies to see how far their members are doing.

During an interview with some of the members they really show satisfacsion to the level the school is offering the classes and promise to do their best not to dissappoint the main funder The Ba'lal foundation.

It is also looking forward to send some of its members to learn skills like tie and dye, sewing, motomaintenace, hair dressing etc.

The programme was conducted by Alhasan Bah and Lamin Sanneh

The Association of Ba'lal Foundation has lunch its first ever Professional IT INSTITUTE in the interior of the Gambia in Lower River Region, it has been a a big concern for the foundation to make IT skills affordable and accessible to people in rural areas  in the Gambia to minimize rural urban migration and illigan migration.