By Momodou Jarju
A charitable organisation established by a Swiss family, recently gave out School items and other materials to Bansang Lower and Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools and neighboring villages in Region Five, in the Central River Region.
Through its Bansang Swiss Project, the foundation presented materials which include eleven bicycles, ten manual and two electronic milling machines and cash.
The charitable organization aims to help Schools in the aforementioned region including Bansang Lower and Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools and Njoren, Darou and Dobong Kunda Lower Basic Schools.
The Mothers’ Club of Bansang and Dobang Kunda were also donated one milling machine each whilst Njoren and Darou each received four milling Machines. Eleven bicycles were distributed among Bansang Upper Basic School which received six, while Njoren Basic Cycle School received five bicycles.
A cash amount of 20, 000.00 dalasi was presented in memory of Peter Dacosta, brother of the President of the Foundation who was an educationist and who attended School in the Gambia. Another 10, 000.00 dalasi cheque was donated by a Swiss lady married in the Gambia. Both donations were meant to cater for the uniforms of orphans attending Schools at the aforesaid region.
Saibeh Darboe, the Alkalo of Basang thanked the organization for the support and appealed to the donors to help his village’s Lower Basic School with buildings, as the present structures were built since the establishment of the School in 1947. “The buildings are no longer in good shape,” the Alkalo said.
The Director for Regional Education Directorate in Region Five Paul Mendy who spoke on behalf of MoBSE, congratulated the beneficiary Schools and implored them to judiciously use the donated materials given to them; that last year, the Foundation distributed teaching and learning materials worth D300, 000 dalasi to six Schools in the Region and built a staff quarter for teachers in Njoren Basic Cycle School worth more than D500, 000.
Abba Sanyang, the Governor in Central River Region said he was touched when he was informed of the donation from a friend for the prisoners at Janjanbureh Prisons. Governor Sanyang urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the donated materials especially the bicycles and milling machines.
