The Fatu Network Heroes Awards for 2021 will be held on 18th March 2022.
An awards committee has been set up charged with the responsibility of dispensing fair and unbiased judgement in recognising exemplary Gambians. The awards committee works independently from The Fatu Network, and The Fatu Network cannot make any decisions as to who should be awarded or not.
Below is the name and profile of all five members of the committee.
GAYE SOWE
LLM (University of Essex’s), LLB (Honours) (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), BL (Nigerian Law School)
Gaye Sowe is the Executive Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), Pan-African human rights organisation based in The Gambia. Before joining IHRDA, Gaye worked with the Gambia Judiciary as a Principal Magistrate and Acting Judicial Secretary and served as a Lecturer of Criminal Procedure at the Gambia Law School.
He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer of Criminal Law at the University of The Gambia. He was an Expert Member of the ECOSOC Working Group of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Constitutional Review Commission of The Gambia. He was also a member of the team that reviewed and redrafted The Gambia’s criminal justice laws.
At IHRDA, Gaye has risen from the ranks of Legal Officer, Senior Legal Officer to Director of Programs, and has spent more than fifteen years at the organisation. He has a wealth of experience in human rights litigation, capacity building and advocacy at domestic and regional levels.
ANNA N’GULU JONES
Anna N’gulu Jones is serving out her term as a Commissioner of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Committee, which was tasked to create an impartial, historical record of human rights violations in the Gambia between July 1994 and January 2017.
Before that, she worked at the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) – The Gambia where she rose through the ranks from Project Assistant in 2011 to the highest office of National Network Coordinator in 2016.
Whilst Anna’s background is in International Relations, Anna has over 10 years of experience working on gender, peace and security; early warning and prevention; peace education; election observation; peacebuilding and conflict resolution, democratic governance and inter-party-political dialogue.
Ms. Jones is an African Union certified Long Term Election Observer and has observed elections and served as either a member of the expert team or the security analyst on several International Election Observation Missions (Pre-Assessment, Short-Term and Long-Term observation) across Africa with the African Union, IRI/NDI and EISA.
Ms. Jones is an alumna of U.S. State Department International Visitor’s Leadership Program. In December 2015, she took part in “Women Leaders: Promoting Peace and Security” program, in Washington and was recognized as one of ten “Women Human Rights Defenders” by Frontline Defenders in 2017.
FATOU AMIRAH MAMBOURAY
Fatou Amirah Mambouray was raised between the Washington, D.C. area and The Gambia which played a major role in shaping her vision and mission for the part she wishes to play in contributing to development.
Solution-oriented and eager to expand her insight as well as experience, she pursued her degree in International Relations and Development in London… further specializing in Sustainable Development. Now, after considerable and diverse work experiences with the likes of the International Committee of the Red Cross as well as The Fatu Network, Fatou Amirah is a budding entrepreneur in the industries of Beauty and Environment and is also a Civil Servant working for the Government of the Gambia.
Her core mandate is governed by her determination to contribute to Africa’s ‘Brain Gain’ in whichever capacity that she possesses skills.
HIS WORSHIP MUHAMMED KRUBALLY:
First Visually Impaired Person to be called to The Gambia Bar
Muhammed Krubally was born in Sankuley Kunda, he attended Sankuley Kunda Primary School from 1992 to 1997. By virtue of his visual impairment and the fact that there was no Braille Textbooks, Braille Machine and other facilities in the said primary school to enable him effectively compete with his sighted friends, Muhammed was transferred to Campama Primary School for The Blind in Banjul where he was introduced to Braille reading and writing and other facilities for the blind and low vision to prepare him to effectively participate in school as the sighted persons.
When he was able to effectively read and write with braille textbooks, braille machines and other related facilities, Muhammed was able to build more confidence and independently participated and tackled class and school lessons with little or no support or intervention from his sighted colleagues.
Between 2004 to 2007 Muhammed did his A-Level Law and Diploma in Law at the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI). At the GTTI he assumed many leadership roles and responsibilities such as Chairman of Independent Electoral Commission of Students Union and Chief Adviser of the Students Union.
Between 2010 to 2013 he studied Law at the University of The Gambia; he became the second visually impaired person in the history of the Gambia to be offered admission to study law at the said university. Muhammed participated in many debates and emerged winner in most of them. In 2013 he proceeded to the Gambia Law School and graduated in 2015. He was subsequently called to The Gambia Bar, making him the first visually impaired person to be called to the bar and become a Barrister and Solicitor in The Gambia.
Professional and Career Qualifications
Muhammed worked as a Facilitator of Integrated Education Program for the Blind and Low Vision Children under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education from 2006 to 2009, worked as Assistant Registrar of The High Court of The Gambia from 2010 to 2013 and
was appointed as the Gambia’s first and only visually impaired First-Class Magistrate from 2014 to 2020. In 2020 he was promoted to the position of Principal Magistrate.
Leadership Positions, Roles and Responsibilities
Muhammed was a board Member of Sheikh Zaire Regional Eye Care Centre as legal adviser and other connected matters from 2015 to 2016. From 2012 up to date, he is the Secretary-General of Gambia Organization of Visually Impaired (GOVI) In 2018 up to date he is Chairman of The Gambia Federation of The Disabled (GFD)
In 2021 he was nominated as the Vice-Chair of Civil Societies Organisations Steering Committee on Election in The Gambia a position he still holds.
In 2021 he represented The Gambia Federation of The Disabled on the Technical Committee on Election at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Since 2020 to date Muhammed remains the Vice Chairman of Gambians with Special Needs Entrepreneurial Fund (GSNEF)
In November 2021 in Benin, Muhammed was unanimously elected as Secretary-General of the West African Federation of The Disabled (WAFOD) comprising of 15 West African Countries.
Currently, he is the Gambia’s first and only visually impaired Principal Magistrate and Chairman of Gambia Federation of The Disabled (GFD) which serves as the umbrella body of all Persons with Disabilities in The Gambia.
FATOU BALDEH MBE
Fatou Baldeh MBE is the founder of Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL). She holds an MSc. in Sexual and Reproductive Health from The Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and a BSc. In Health and Psychology from the University of Wolverhampton.
She has extensive experience working on women’s rights and advocating for gender equality including equal opportunities and the protection of women and girls from all forms of violence both in the UK and The Gambia.
In recognition of her work with migrant women who have experienced abuse in the UK, Her Majesty, the Queen of England honoured her with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2019. Since founding WILL, Fatou has been working to support and ensure that female victims of human right’s violations take part in the Gambia’s TRRC process.
