Fatsise Fatou Ceesay is 27, is one of thousands of women, most of them young, taking part in a special initiative in The Gambia to improve the skills and job prospects of young people and contribute to building climate resilience at the community level.
Married with two children, Ms Ceesay lives in Jinoi, in the Jikoko community, with her extended family. But, more importantly, she is the owner of small trading business, thanks to her participation in a cash for work programme and skills development course.

Fatou is one of the beneficiaries of the Jobs, Skills and Finance for Women and Youth (JSF) programme in The Gambia, funded by the European Union and launched by UNCDF in 2018 in partnership with the International Trade Centre. The JSF Programme is designed to support the democratic transition of The Gambia by promoting financial and social inclusion as well as employment of the youth and women through green and resilient economies.
Using a “Cash For Work” model, vulnerable groups are provided with temporary employment opportunities in public projects, such as irrigation canals, vegetable gardens and infrastructure projects. The goal is to provide the basis for long-term sustainable opportunities, especially by supporting Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. So far, 45,000 people have directly benefitted from the cash for work programme, with the creation of about 1,000 temporary full-time jobs.
Work, skills and access to finance have generated new opportunities for women, especially in rural areas. It is through the acquisition of new skills that women become more economically and socially empowered, even getting skills in areas that they would not normally have access to.
“Construction projects are my favorites,” said Ms Ceesay. “Look, it is us who built those compressed blocks over there!”, she said pointing out a neat line of building blocks.