The
government of the People’s Republic of China, through its Embassy in The
Gambia, has donated US$210,000 to the First Lady’s Operation Save the Children
Foundation, OSCF, at a ceremony held at the First Lady’s office at State House
in Banjul.
Speaking
to the press corp shortly after meeting, first lady Zineb Jammeh, Ambassador
Zhang Jiming of China said they were honoured and humbled to have the
opportunity to present to the first lady and chairperson of the OSCF, a
donation for the expansion project of the paediatric and maternity wards at the
Serrekunda General Hospital.
“We
came to realise that the hospital serves nearly one-third of the Gambia’s
population, of whom 10 per cent are children. We fully understand the need and
urgency to expand the hospital,” he said.
He
added that “as a gesture of goodwill, solidarity and appreciation of the
admirable efforts of the first lady and her foundation in improving the welfare
of Gambian children and women,” the embassy decided to make the donation to the
foundation for the project.
The
Chinese ambassador was hopeful that the contribution would go a long way in
helping her achieve the foundation’s objective to create an environment
conducive for the well-being of Gambian children and women.
“By
this donation, we would also like to say that we have full confidence and
commitment to the bilateral relationship between China and The Gambia,” he
declared.
Since
the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said, a
lot has happened in the past six months.
The
Chinese ambassador was presented with a Goodwill Ambassador Certificate and
trophy by the first lady.
He
said he was honoured to receive the certificate as a Goodwill Ambassador for
the Foundation.
“This
is yet another huge honour to me, to my team and to the embassy in recognising
our efforts and commitment in promoting the friendly cooperation between our
two countries. It is a big encouragement and we feel more motivated.”
