The materials included shoes, school bags, sports jersey, horticultural borehole construction materials, school materials for children with learning difficulties, toys among other valuable items.
The beneficiaries included SOS Children, school for children with learning difficulties and other institutions.
The donation was made through the Rotaract Club of Fajara for onward distribution to the institutions in need of such items.
The presentation, attended by beneficiaries, was held at Kololi Beach Hotel.
The presentation was made possible by the founder of the organisation Madam Manneh, a Swiss lady married to a Gambian called Sainey Manneh.
She is a Rotarian, who deemed it fitting to contribute her quota to the national development of The Gambia by giving some materials to needy children through institutions and individuals.
The donated materials were collected from friends and companies based in Switzerland through the founder for onward distribution to children in The Gambia.
Established in Switzerland, the charity had been supporting various projects such as sponsoring of the construction of two boreholes for the community of Kalagi among other development projects.
In receiving the items on behalf of the SOS Children’s Village, deputy director Omar Beyai appreciated the donors Swiss-Gambia Charity Friendship for the support.
The charity had been rendering support to the less privileged in the country, especially to SOS Children’s Village, he said, adding that the donor is also now part of the SOS family.
The founder of the Swiss friendship had been supporting SOS Children for the past fourteen years, he added, saying that SOS Children’s Village had benefited from the support of five cartons of brand new clothes.
Mr Beyai described the founder of the Charity as a real friend of The Gambia, saying the items are very important as they would go a long way in addressing some of the burdens faced by various institutions such as SOS Children.
He also commended the founder of Swiss friendship for the gesture, saying her support was a clear indication of the love she has for the people of The Gambia.
Mr Beyai encourages other philanthropists to emulate the Swiss-Gambia Friendship, calling on all well-wishers or friends of The Gambia abroad to join hands and raise money for Swiss-Gambian Friendship to render more support.
Also speaking, Kalifa Sanneh, a member of the Rotaract Club of Fajara, said the gesture by the Swiss-Gambia Friendship Charity was in line with the Rotaract Club of Fajara goal of serving humanity. It is a services organisation that comprises mainly members between the ages of 18 and 30 years.
“We are involved in serving humanity and one of the services is seen in what we have presented to various institutions through the support of Swiss Friendship Gambia,” he said.
For her part, the founder of the Swiss-Gambia Friendship, Astride Manneh, said the mission for establishing the charity is also to assist people through mobilizing support and items such as clothes, shoes and school bags in Switzerland and donate them to needy children in The Gambia.
She said the charity had also given money to build boreholes in the villages and had secured a lot of materials that she had donated to The Gambia.
She thanked various companies and individuals for their support in making the donation a reality in The Gambia.
She disclosed that the charity support ranges from donating football jersey, school bags, and secondhand clothing, to construction of boreholes.
“I feel very delighted to support Gambian children,” she said, adding that although supporting is not easy but for her it was like a mission to that she needs to accomplish in life.
One of her objectives is to support the young for them to become more productive in the future, she said, and thanked her husband for his support and encouragement in ensuring that the project was realized in The Gambia.
She also revealed that plans are underway for them to build a hotel in The Gambia in collaboration with her husband, Sainey Manneh, and to raise more projects in Swiss to support the Gambian rural community.
