Association
of the Mentally Disabled the Gambia last Monday donated one solar cooker and one
solar dryer worth D22,000 to Tanka Tanka Psychiatric Hospital.
The
gesture was part of the association’s activities marking World Mental Health
Day celebration.
Speaking
shortly after the presentation, Lamin Dibba, Chairman of the Association for
the Mentally Disabled in The Gambia, said they were opportune to have funds
from Gamworks through the Islamic Development Bank.
He
said they place special emphasis on this year’s theme, which is: ‘Physiological
Firstaid for All’, and through that focused on occupational therapy which is
why they donated the solar cooker and dryer to Tanka Tanka.
He
said the solar cooker and dryer will be used at the Tanka Tanka occupational
therapy unit to help engage the patients mentally so they can have skills to
preserve food, use the power of the sun to bake food as well as help them avoid
relapses.
“As
an organisation we are operating to serve the pledges of persons mentally
challenged,” he remarked, saying: “We all have a stake to play as one player
cannot do it all.”
He
called on civil society organisations, philanthropists and other individuals to
come onboard to support the plight of persons with mental disabilities, saying
mental illness is beyond nobody as long as one is alive.
“Everybody
is prone to one form of mental problem or another in this complex world we are
living in,” he went on, saying: “We need to be together to bridge the gap.”
He
said they aim to continue with the activities as an advocate group, and are
planning to stage a community outreach focusing on the theme in Farafenni.
