Hand on Afrika Trading Company, a registered
charitable organization based in the United States of America recently donated
school furniture, uniforms, shoes, toys, laundering soap, school bags and
various learning materials to Divine Preparatory School in Serekunda.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at the school, the chief executive officer and founder of Hand on Afrika Trading Company, Mr Sonko, said their organization is a branch of a private company called Hand on Afrika Trading, which also engages in business in The Gambia.
“As a result we feel that any organization that does business in this country has a moral obligation to plough back to The Gambia, which this organization is currently doing,” he said.
“The furniture and stationery being giving out is the first of many donations this organization will be doing across the country.”
Education is the key to success, Mr Sonko noted, saying that is why they render more support in education to complement the effort of the Ministry of Education in providing quality and affordable education to all in The Gambia.
“As far as education is concerned we will do everything possible to ensure that this organization continues to support the education sector,” he said.
He added that the organization is also rendering support in the health sector, with donation of medical items to health centres across the country.
The charity organization, he explained, had over the past five years engaged in bringing 40-foot containers of medical and other needed items to donate to communities across the country, with the aim of giving back to the community to alleviate poverty and reduce illiteracy in the country.
For his part, the public relations officer of the foundation, Abdoulie Bah, said the organization is out to complement the effort of government in tackling the challenges in the education and health sectors.
He also appealed to beneficiaries to ensure the donation from the organisation is fully utilised as “many are in need of such support”.
In her remarks, the principal of the school, Miss Odramina Mokeh Macaulay said the items donated to her school will be of great help to the school as it offers education to children of the community.
She thanked the donors profoundly for the laudable gesture and urged members of the foundation to extend their gesture to other schools.