By Nelson Manneh
Guaranty Trust Bank Gambia on Saturday, 3 August 2024, handed over a solar powered water borehole to the community of Kemoto Village, Kiang, in the Lower River Region of the Gambia.
The project provides a regular supply of safe and drinkable water for villagers and their livestock. This is part of 3 other boreholes given by the Bank as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility interventions.
In her handing over statement, GTBank Executive Director Mrs. Mariama Sulay Njie said since GTBank was established 22 years ago, GTBank Gambia, through its Corporate Social Responsibility, supported communities and public institutions in the areas of health, education, sports and culture.
She added that giving back to the communities had not only become a norm for the Bank, but it had also become a culture.
She commended the government and people of The Gambia for their patronage, noting that the Bank will continue to plough back part of its profit in support of local communities and institutions.
Mrs Njie said the Bank in November of 2023 and February 2024 donated similar water projects to some communities among them were Lowen in Niumi and Ballen in Foni, Kansala.
Mr Yaya Jadama, the Alkalo of Kemoto Village said the Water borehole project marked a historical moment for the community of Kemoto and that it would significantly improve their quality of life.
He added that the people of Kemoto will no longer struggle to access clean water. “As the saying goes water is life, today GTBank has come to improve our living conditions by providing this borehole to us,” he said.
The chairman of Kemoto Village Development Committee Mr. Lamin Banjinka underscored the importance of water in life, adding that the new borehole will significantly end years of drudgery endured by women and children in accessing portable drinking water.
Speaking on behalf of the women of Kemoto Village Mrs. Yamundaw Jobarteh said the borehole was a dream come true for the women in Kemoto.
“The bank did not only ease the burden on us to access clean water, but it has also saved the women and the girl child from the hectic task of having to carry water for nearly two kilometers in order to cater for our families,” she noted.
