By Lamin Fatty
The Office of the Governor of the Upper River Region (URR) in collaboration with the Regional Task Force Advisory Committee on Tuesday engaged regional authorities on sensitization ahead of the Covid-19 food distribution.
Speaking to this reporter during an interview in her office, URR Governor Fanta Bojang Samateh Manneh indicates that the food stuff meant for distribution was yet to arrive in the Region.
But that despite this, they are preparing the ground well ahead by sensitizing the relevant authorities such as District Chiefs and Alkalos, and all VDCs within their districts, regarding the food distribution.
According to the Governor, ‘‘there are seventy four distribution centers that have been identified within URR in order to make the food distribution easy’’;
On whether the distribution will be based on family sizes per household, Governor responded: ‘‘It will be based on family size as instructed in the guidelines from the Central Government level. If you have four people in your household, you will be entitled to one 25 kg bag of rice and sugar and five liters of cooking oil. From 5 to 11 people, you will be entitled to one 50 kg bag of rice and sugar and 10 liters of cooking oil,’’; that the maximum size of a family in a household of 16 people, from 16 people and above, are entitled to get 2 bags of rice, 2 bags of sugar and a drum of oil; that because in that region, they have seen 200 people in one household.
On the quantity of rice, sugar and oil expected to be received for the Region, Governor Samateh Manneh said she is yet to be privy to this information.
Many people in the country especially in provincial Gambia were expecting to receive the food supply well before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But to their disappointment, the food supply which is intended for them is yet to be received.
