One of the teams that participated in the just concluded Antwerp Banjul Challenge last Monday presented a school bus to Ngendi Ooli Galo, a youth organisation based in Sareh Gumal in the Upper Baddidu District, NBR.
The organisation was founded in 2004 as a charitable organisation and has a membership of over 100 people from 9 villages in Upper and Central Baddidu.
The school bus is meant to ferry students to Njaba Kunda Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools, some 6 kilometres away.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at Sareh Gumalo, the donors Messrs Neils de Jong and Bart Van Schooten urged that the bus should be properly maintained and utilised.
The Chairman of Helping Hand VZW, a humanitarian organisation based in Belgium, who organised the Antwerp Banjul Challenge Cor de Bresser thanked the community for the warm reception accorded them.
He said that the vehicle is in good condition, as according to him, it was not serviced throughout the 7000 miles journey. He reiterated his continuous commitment to provide assistance to the Gambian people.
The Chief Driver at Jammeh Foundation for Peace, Abdoulie Panneh, who presided over the ceremony, urged the communities to be united and take good care of the vehicle and the driver.
He urged them to assign the vehicle to a competent and committed driver, avoid overloading and ensure its regular service.
Mr. Panneh also advised them not to politicise the vehicle or tolerate retrogressive acts. He advised parents to be more committed to their children's education by sending them to school.
Mustapha Saidy, Regional APRC Youth Mobilizer, who deputised for Governor Edward Seckan and National Assembly Member for Illiasa, Hon. Lamin Jammeh thanked the donors and Antwerp Banjul Challenge for their remarkable contribution to The Gambia?s development process.
He advised the communities to entrust the management of the vehicle to people who are trustworthy and committed to ensure that it serves its intended purpose. He urged them to properly maintain the vehicle.
The National Assembly Member for the area, Kawsu AJ Sama called on parents to send their children to school and support them in their education. He said government has played its part by bringing education to the doorsteps of Gambians.
In his vote of thanks, Demba Jallow, appealed to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to help provide the school with enough competent teachers, equipped laboratories and technical workshops.
The Alkalo of Sare Gumalo, Njuuku Bah conferred honorary citizenship on the donors in recognition and appreciation of their invaluable contributions to the socio-economic development of the communities and The Gambia, in particular.
As part of the ceremony, Bart Van Schooten launched the association?s scholarship trust fund, dubbed "Njangen."
Pledges amounting to D4, 000 were made.
Messrs Neils de Jong and Bart Van Schooten presented a football, football jerseys and dozens of exercise books, pens and pencils to the association and school children at the ceremony.
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