Ms Coumba Gawlo, World Vision Senegal Goodwill Ambassador
World Vision and musician Coumba Gawlo launched a series of activities together in 2016 under the banner of promoting protection and participation for children in vulnerable sectors of society. Since then the partnership has scored a number of meaningful successes.
Consequently, World Vision Senegal had the honour and privilege of appointing her Goodwill Ambassador at a ceremony held for her 1 June 2017 at Résidences Mamounes, Dakar.
Day by day, hand in hand
Coumba Gawlo and her local NGO Lumière Pour l’Enfance (Light for Childhood) will work in parallel in order to bolster World Vision’s efforts to advocate for children and promote their well-being. The new Goodwill Ambassador will also be bringing her influence to bear on issues of education for children. It is all for the purpose of achieving World Vision Senegal’s strategic objective to improve the lives of more than 8 million of the most vulnerable children in Senegal by 2021.
Coumba Gawlo is making a commitment to partner with World Vision Senegal in the promotion of access to a quality education for all children in Senegal over the next five years. Through this appointment, she will be working alongside the NGO on a daily basis in order to fulfil some ambitious objectives and act in cooperation with local communities in order to emphasise these essential creeds:
All children should have access to a quality education;
All children should finish their basic education;
All children should be registered at birth;
No more children should become victims of pregnancy or marriage during their schooling.
Signature of protocol
Cooperation for a better future for the kids
Ms Coumba Gawlo declared: “This appointment today touches me deeply for many reasons. Firstly, because it strengthens my belief in showing the highest regard for human rights, especially for women and children but also for all people in general. So naturally it gives me great pride to take up the appointment.
Over the next five years I undertake to put a lot of time into promoting access to a quality education for all the children of Senegal, alongside World Vision. We will be striving together to achieve some ambitious objectives and to reach out to local communities for their cooperation in giving all children access to a quality education and the chance to finish their basic schooling.”
Field visit in Fimela ADP
Dr. Andrew Catford, World Vision Senegal’s Country Director, said: “Being able to call on actors, musicians and stars of different kinds in order to raise awareness and get the message across about potentially complex development issues is of capital importance for organisations such as World Vision. As Goodwill Ambassador, we are looking forward to seeing Ms Coumba Gawlo playing a pivotal role in the education of children and the empowerment of women, through World Vision projects such as ‘I Can Read’.
We count it as an honour therefore to be able to work with Coumba Gawlo, and we have no intention of treating the opportunity lightly. It’s not everyone who has the chance to really change things, but we hope that with Coumba Gawlo we will be able to do just that.
We know that she shares our belief that the rights of women and children are closely entwined. We stand to learn a lot from our cooperation with Coumba and her organisation, and as time goes by we hope to be contributing more and more personal knowledge, experience and open-mindedness to the noble mission of promoting child well-being, especially for the most vulnerable.
We hope that World Vision’s work and mission are supported and the news carried far and wide by our Goodwill Ambassadors who have so generously agreed to use their talent and international fame on our behalf to make an impression on world opinion.”
Biography
Coumba Gawlo comes from a family called Gawlo: griot in pulaar because Coumba inherits from her mother Fatou Kiné Mbaye1 a particular voice and noticed as of the age of 7 years.
At 14, she won the "Voice of Gold of Senegal" contest at the Blaise Senghor Cultural Center with a song entitled Soweto written by her father as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and a true cry against apartheid.
At the age of 20 she is discovered and produced by the Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sylla.
His first album was released under the Syllart label. The eponymous album with the arrangements of Manu Lima and some pieces composed by Thione Seck, and percussions Thio Mbaye. This album will make it discovered to the Senegalese public and propel it among the sure values of the Senegalese music.
Coumba Gawlo produces four albums that will make her known in her country while continuing her studies.
Her album Amine with the song Bine Bine 2 pays tribute to the sensuality of the Senegalese woman who knows how to seduce without vulgarity. The consecration will come with the album Yo Male recorded with Patrick Bruel.
Singer engaged
She joined the club of the Enfoirés and sings for the poor. Her commitment to the cause of children and women, the destitute, led her to be named "Goodwill Ambassador" of the United Nations Development Program UNDP3. She went with UNDP to raise awareness with her music and goodwill To Bouake, the city where there were clashes between rebels and government forces in Côte d'Ivoire to play its part in the establishment of peace definitely between the North and the South.
She is appointed in June 2017 as a Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision Senegal.
Photos Credits: Alexandre Gassama