Belgian
Friends of The Gambia (BFoTG), an international organization with its office
branch housed at Nyodema Nursery School in Manjai-Kunda, has begun distributing
educational, health, agricultural and tailoring materials worth D2 million to
twelve institutions within Kanifing Municipality and West Coast Region.
Speaking to this reporter at the Golden Beach Hotel, where the 40-foot container was offloaded, the Chairman of the BFoTG, Patrick De Vos, said his organization started coming into the country in 1998.
“But for the sponsorship packages, particularly the students in The Gambia, we started it at Nyodema Nursery School eleven years ago and from that year to date, our sponsorship has been going from strength to strength ,” Mr De Vos said.
He informed this reporter that this year he came with eighteen members of his organization including 3 nurses and 1 agriculturalist.
He commended their Gambian counterpart, Mariama Secka Darboe, Headmistress of Nyodema Nursery School, for her support to the organization in the past eleven years.
As at now, Mr De Vos went on, they are sponsoring over 400 students from nursery, upper basic and senior secondary school levels within Kanifing Municipality and West Coast Region.
They are also helping some of their sponsored schools with all kinds of vegetable seeds for their school gardens, he added, saying during their two-week stay in the country, they would inaugurate a new computer lab at New Yundum Lower Basic School and construct a playground for the students of Jambangjelly Daycare Nursery School.
“We would also organize First Aid class for Nyodema Nursery School students and work on the improvement of electricity at New Yundum Health Center and visit Widdar Nursery School at Kotu Quarry,” he said.
Meanwhile, the items donated included 23 computers, 17 flat screens, 18 laptops, 3 boxes with computer materials, 1 printer, 2 giant photocopiers, 1 electricity cable for computers, 2 boxes of office materials, 2 TVs, 2 video recorders and 5 boxes with video films.
They also provide 13 pieces of First Aid boxes refills for all the schoolsunder their sponsors, 62 boxes of pampers, 25 boxes of brand new school bags,31 toys, 2 boxes of puzzles, 1 big box of blackboard paint, 4 big boxes of chalks, 2 boxes of pencils containing (5000) pieces and 5 pieces of little plastic chairs.
The beneficiaries included Nyodema Nursery School, Bakoteh Annex and Proper Lower Basic Schools, Bakoteh Upper Basic School, Jambangjelly Day Care Nursery School, Siffoe Lower Basic School, Saint Therese’s Lower and Upper Basic schools, LatriKunda Upper Basic School and New Yumdum Lower Basic School.
