By: Abdoulai G. Dibba and Adama Ceesay
Information gathered by this medium has it that not all the
donated items to the victims of the recent Kuntuar floods, have been distributed.
Families making use of their last harvest before the rains
According to the information, the only donated items that have been distributed as from Wednesday 13th September 2017, were the donated items of Mr. Mamma Kandeh, the leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress, the Wassu natives based in the USA, the Kuntuar natives based in the UK, the donated items of Kita Konjira and the 82 bags of cement and 50 bags of rice, donated by the Vice President, as the overseer of that office at that time.
The Coordinator of the Committee responsible for the donations and its distribution, Hon Alhagi Sillah, said a lot of the donations have been received and these range from food items, non-food items, cash and building materials.
He however said that as of the 13th of September, they had only distributed the donations that were received at the first instance of the disaster from philanthropists and not the recent ones from the Disaster Management Agency through Government and its partners like Momodou Turo Darboe’s Vision Foundation and others.
With regard to the mode of distribution, Hon. Sillah indicated that this was done transparently, equitably and fairly, regardless of the size of the household; that the bags of cement were given to those victims whose houses have completely collapsed and have no shelter. Hon. Sillah said the donated items will be distributed fairly, equitably and transparently through the presence of NGOs and representatives from the Disaster Management Agency
One Mamadi Camara, a victim of the recent floods, informed this medium that he has received 10 bags of cement, 125 kilograms of rice, soap and second hand clothes from the distribution committee.
According to Mr Camara, he lost his house, furniture, cooking utensils and clothes in the flood. According to Mr. Camara, he is left with nothing apart from the clothes he was putting on at the time of the disaster.
He called on Government and Non-Governmental Organisations to assist him re-build his house of two rooms and a parlour to enable him return to normal life with his family.
Some villages complain that the foodstuff they have been supplied is inadequate. For example, the Alkalo of Parlang Mandinka Kunda, Koba Camara, said 10 bags of rice have been provided for the 40 affected compounds.
