A UK-based registered charity organisation called Noor Aid, also operating in The Gambia, yesterday concluded a week-long visit to its project intervention sites in the West Coast, Lower River and North Bank regions in The Gambia.
The visit was for familiarizing the team with the project communities, and was characterized by distribution of foodstuff and cheques to support school fees, the construction of madrasa classrooms and mosques, as well as provision of learning materials and praying materials.
It was also for the digging of local wells for potable water in the communities of Brikama, Yundum, Sukuta, Bakoteh, Sinchu Sorry, Sibanor, Wulinkama.
The cost of the aid is more than fifty thousand pounds, according to Hashim Nakhuda, in an interview with The Point newspaper at the distribution centre in Wellingara village in the West Coast Region yesterday.
According to Nakhuda, the charitable organisation is an international relief charity established in 2002, with the objectives of helping and complementing government efforts in alleviating poverty through giving donations, providing education, supporting agricultural initiatives, empowering girls and women, among others, in Africa and Asia.
“Much of our work is concentrated in The Gambia (Western Africa), but we also have ongoing projects in Rajasthan, India,” he said, adding that they also gave disaster relief in disasters in Myanmar (Burma) and Gaza.
He recalled that in their earlier visit to The Gambia, they saw the need to support the poor and needy with food aid, and in health, education and agriculture to uplift their status, reduce poverty and improve their livelihood.
“This prompted us to start operations in The Gambia by giving helping hands to Gambian people through donations, and this inspired us to help the needy population in this country,” he added.
The organization strictly operates a 100 percent donation, so every penny of donation goes to those who need it most, he said, adding that any individual could help to support their work by sending them donation, which would reach beneficiaries in all the countries they are operating.
Their activities include orphan/family sponsorship, wells/taps installation, clothes, rice, sugar and oil distribution, roof tops provision, Quran distribution, Masjid building/refurbishment, and madrasas improvement.
Ousman Jammeh, the contact person of Noor Aid The Gambia, said some of the interventions include the provision of pipe-borne water, construction and rehabilitation of mosques, food and clothing distribution, education sponsorship, health support, water projects, sponsorship, distribution of cattle and sheep for local communities during Tobaski feasts, and relief efforts when a disaster occurs.
In addition, the project/organisation is operating in the Greater Banjul, LRR, CRR and NBR in trying to complement government efforts to help reduce poverty in these areas.
Highlighting some of their latest interventions, he said this time the organisation provided 200 bags of 50 kg of rice, 50 bags of sugar, 2,400 bottles of vegetable oil, 20 corrugated iron packets, several bags of 20 kg onions, scholarship packages and cash support to family heads.
He thanked President Yahya Jammeh for creating the enabling environment for organizations like Noor Aid to operate in the country.
He also commended the chairman of the organisation for the support being rendered to Gambians, and urged other philanthropists, organizations here and abroad to emulate Noor Aid.