An
agricultural project worth D714,375 (seven hundred and fourteen thousand three
hundred and seventy five dalasis), inaugurated in Sintet village in the Foni
Jarrol district, sponsored by Engelhart on Saturday. The CEO and founder of
Fonteris Company in Germany who is a member of Socialis for The Gambia was
present.
The
inauguration came as several members of the Socialis for The Gambia are in the
country to visit some of their project sites. Their first port of call was
Sannehmentereng Kindergarten and Lower Basic School in Brufut. This school has
received unprecedented support, including free education, uniforms,
scholarship, a skills centre, infrastructure and other amenities worth millions
of Dalasis.
The
Socialis for The Gambia is a German charitable organization based in The
Gambia. The organization has been instrumental in providing support in
education and agriculture at both Sannehmentereng Kindergarten and Lower Basic
School in Brufut and the community of Sinteh in Foni Jarrol District since its
inception. The relationship between the organization and the community of
Sinteh was started in 2010 by Lamin Sowe, a native of the village who has lived
in Germany for many years.
In
his inaugural speech, Hatab Beyai, the coordinator of Socialis for The Gambia,
spoke of the importance of the project, describing it as a milestone
achievement not only for the people of the area, but for the country as a
whole. “With the dedication and hard work of all members of the association the
Sinteh Skill Centre was officially opened in providing free skills training for
the youth of the area.”
He
went on to add that, it is envisaged that providing knowledge and training for
citizens is an empowerment tool for the sustainable development of their
livelihood. Socialis for The Gambia has partnered with the government of The
Gambia for the past couple of years in complementing the efforts of the
government in the provision of free education for all, regardless of sex or
tribe and, “today we are proud to inform the gathering that we are providing
free education to over 600 students our Lower Basic School in Burufut, 45
students at our skills centre in Brufut and over 40 students in our skills
centre in Sintet.”
He
finally, thanked the members of Socialis for The Gambia for their unflinching
support and also acknowledged the contribution of other people who have worked
tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the project came to fruition. Among
those he thanked was Lamin Sowe, a native of Sintet and Executive member of
Socialis for The Gambia, Samba Sowe coordinator Sintet project, the contractor,
the seamstress and students of Sintet Skill Centre and the community of Sintet
village.
For
his part, Engelhart, the CEO and founder of Fonteris Company in Germany, who is
the main sponsor of the Agricultural project, said the idea of the project came
when he was invited to go to Kenya by a group of German friends who has
established meaningful agricultural projects in Kenya. He stated that those
projectshave been exporting produce to Germany.
This,
he said, inspired him to start a similar project in The Gambia so that in the
near future it can also bring success and development to the inhabitants of the
area. “In my opinion this was a reasonable project, this is why I founded this
through Socialis for The Gambia. This project is intended as ‘help for self
help’. The only way to move forward is through sustainable help that keeps on
working after we are gone. If we all work together to help you and you help
yourself; success will be achieved for the betterment of all and sundry. I will
continue to work with you and give support where necessary to achieve the
desired goal,” he said.
He
thanked the members of the Socialis for Ther Gambia and all those who
contributed in one way or the other for making it a successful project.
Samba
Sowe, the coordinator of project, underscored the significance of the project
saying the organization built a skills training centre for the community which
is now training the youth and women in tailoring. The vision of the centre, he
added, is to ensure that the youth and women are involved in the development
agenda of the country and that they be given the support they need to build
their capacity to be responsible citizens.
He
added that its mission is to provide skills training for the rural youth and
women in the areas of tailoring and agriculture so as to help job-creators who
will generate income and live independent lives.
The
two newly constructed agricultural buildings are to train farmers in modern
farming techniques and agro-based processing to drive and empower the youth of
the area to nurture agriculture and discourage going the back way to Europe.
The building contains offices, classrooms, workshops and a proposed storage
(cooling) room for the operation of the centre.
He
thanked both the philanthropists for their unflinching support and for their
vision and mission to transform the lives of the needy communities.
A
host of other speakers, included Karin Neumuller, the Co-president of Socialis
for The Gambia and Josef Kiener; one of the visiting members of the Socialis
for The Gambia. All were overwhelmed by the performance and achievement of the
organization over the years and they assured their continued support for the
project.
