CONCEPT
The Education Through Culture and Communication Organisation (ECCO) is a Non-governmental organisation interested in the promotion and preservation of local cultures.

As a development agency, it is already involved in assisting Community Based Organisations in the construction of cultural camps and in the training of Community Groups in the management of cultural camps. ECCO is also involved in the training of Music Students from Europe in African Music and Dance, and in training local education students in traditional music and dancing. ECCO also promotes culture as a tool for communication and information to community-groups in health- issues and democracy-issues.

ECCO is a registered NGO, established in 1997. ECCO’s target groups are communities interested in developing the sustainable cultural concept in their society, and traditional artists interested in music education and the development of a trans-cultural concept.

ECCO is based on the idea of local ownership and management of all our projects to ensure a sustainable future of activities. ECCO is also based on the idea of full transparency in our projects and towards our partners, therefore elected delegates from the education programme and the community camp programme are members of our Board of Trustees.

ECCO - THE GAMBIA
ECCO`s chairman in The Gambia, Alh.A.E. Cham Joof was one of the founders of the organisation. He is an historian and a valuable protector of our concepts. He has been a long-time member of the UNESCO National Committee in The Gambia, he was Chairman of the National Council for Arts and Culture, and he was part of a team conducting the first assessment on poverty alleviation in The Gambia. ECCO has a Country Director, a student coordinator, an administrative assistant and a technical advisor running the day-to-day activities. During student courses, community training or camp- building we are up to fifty people involved in the activities.

ECCO - EUROPE
ECCO’s coordinator, Guro Gardsjord Heilmann, is based in London. She is taking care of all contact with existing and potential partners in Europe: music education institutions, donor agencies, and networks of music education- and community development- agencies. Guro Gardsjord Heilmann was one of the initiators of the Cultural Tourism Project, she lived in The Gambia from 1996-1999, and was before that working with a youth exchange programme in Central America since 1990. She has a degree in political science, psychology and social anthropology.
Contact ECCO Europe – Contact ECCO The Gambia