By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Network of Local Women Elected in Africa (REFELA), led by Banjul City Council’s Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, has inaugurated a new 8,000-liter capacity borehole to serve the Banjulinding women’s gardening community in the West Coast Region of The Gambia.
Supported by Austria’s Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, this project aims to uplift the women who rely on gardening as a primary livelihood to support their families.
The inauguration gathered community members, including Brikama Area Council Chairman, the National Assembly member for Busumbala Constituency, and REFELA’s executive team, among other dignitaries.
In her address, Mayor Lowe expressed gratitude to the project’s supporters and highlighted the borehole’s significance to the community. She encouraged the women gardeners to take ownership of the project, sharing that REFELA plans to launch similar borehole initiatives across the country.
“Since embarking on these borehole projects five years ago, we haven’t faced any issues due to the quality equipment we use. So, I urge you all to care for this project as your own,” she said.
She also noted that they would be visiting additional villages in the West Coast Region and Jarra over the next four weeks to assess further borehole projects.
Austrian Ambassador Ursula Fahringer commended REFELA’s efforts to empower women, underscoring the importance of clean water access in enhancing women’s economic opportunities.
“Access to water is a human right, and it is a logical and basic precondition for strengthening the economic empowerment of women, and this will benefit not only them, but their families and the communities,” Ambassador Fahringer stated.
She also expressed her joy in helping over 4,000 women, with indirect benefits for many more.
National Assembly member for Busumbala, Muhammed Kanteh, and Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe emphasized the borehole’s potential to improve economic and agricultural productivity in the constituency.
“It is indeed a gratifying moment for us to see that the ambassadors are ready to give a helping hand to the mayor of Banjul to upgrade the life and livelihood of the people within this environment, and in no small measures, this is going to enhance and promote the life and livelihood of people residing in this village particularly in this region,” said Hon. Kanteh.
Chairman Darboe echoed this sentiment, highlighting that many have funded their education through gardening.” The councilor did say something very important; she said she was able to afford her school fees from this very ground that we are in at the moment. So how many students or how many people who are now serving different communities in our region have been able to have that access to education as a result of the hard work of the women in this very ground that we are in?”
Ward Councilor Abbi Bangura expressed gratitude to Mayor Lowe, noting that the lack of water had left Banjulinding’s community garden inactive for nearly eight years.
With a capacity to serve over 4,000 women, the borehole is expected to revitalize gardening activities in Banjulinding and its surrounding villages.
REFELA, which has more than 30 national chapters across Africa, is dedicated to advancing gender equality and empowering women by influencing public policies and fostering inclusive development.
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