As part of its humanitarian gesture, Gambian Association Houston Chapter (GAHC) based in the United States of America over the weekend supported three more families in the villages of Lamin Koto and Janjanbureh all in the Central River Region and Marakissa in the West Coast Region.
The gesture, amounting to D4,500, was shared between the three needy families, who were identified by GAHC trustees charged with this responsibility.
In presenting the gesture to the beneficiaries in the Central River Region, Abdourahman Sallah, The Point newspaper’s regional correspondent in the region, said the ultimate objective of the organization is to support the needy and most disadvantaged families with a view to improving their standard of living, thus reducing poverty of vulnerable families.
The GAHC, he added, has over the past years been supporting a lot of families in the country, particularly the rural and peri-urban areas.
The gesture, which forms part of the association’s “Feed a Family” project, was launchedin November last year,to complement the efforts of the Gambia government in achieving national development targets and aspirations as it is enshrined in the nation’s blueprint development document.
Sallah told the beneficiaries that the “Feed a Family” project is a project that is being executed by the GAHC, which among others, seeks to provide assistance to families in rural villages who otherwise have very little access to opportunities for basic necessities.
Sallah, who serves as a trustee in identifying deserving beneficiaries for the assistance in the Central River Region, told the beneficiaries that the GAHC seeks to maintain this gesture as an ongoing initiative with more assistance to be delivered to selected families on a monthly basis.
Those to receive assistance, he explained, may range from 1 to 3 depending on the amount of money raised in a given month or the presence of an urgent need that may require the total sum to go to one family.
He however stated that the monthly amounts to be given to needy families might vary from month to month based on how much the GAHC is able to raise in a given month.
He used the opportunity to assure the beneficiaries of the organization’s support at all times, noting that it would do everything possible to raise more funds to be able to support more families in The Gambia.
Also presenting the gesture to one Kumba Badjan of Marakissa village in the West Coast Region, Baboucarr Senghore, editor of The Point newspaper, expressed sentiments similar to Mr Sallah’s, assuring the beneficiaries that the Association’s doors are open at all times.
Mrs Badjan, a mother of six, commended the donors for the gesture, assuring them that the funds will be properly utilised towards paying the school fees of two of her children.
Aji Oumie Sowe, a beneficiary from Janjanbureh, commended the GAHC for what she described as a timely intervention, noting that the gesture came at a time when her family needed it most.
For her part, Orcha Jallow of Lamin Koto said the gesture came as a surprise to her family members, who were in dire need of support from genuine organizations like the GAHC.
She implored other associations or groups to emulate the GAHC for its humanitarian gestures, noting that there are people in rural Gambia who really need help.
Jallow further appealed to the GAHC to intervene in supporting her children’s education.
