NOVA Scotia-Gambia Association holds press briefing

The management of the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association (NSGA) last Friday held a press briefing with various media houses including the print and the electronic media at association’s office.

The press conference was held to update the public about the level of preparedness of LOVE4 Gambia RUN NSGA fund-raising project.

The press conference also geared towards popularising the event, expected to start in Banjul from June 8 through June 26 this year. The 17-day event will feature four participants, namely Pa. Modou Sarr an NSGA member, Dodou Bah a participant, Yankuba A. Bojang NSGA member, and Terry San Cartier a marathon runner from Canada.

These are expected to participate in this Love4 Gambia run-NSGA fund-raising project, a run which will start from Koina to Banjul to cover 425km.

The objective of the run is purely to raise funds for NSGA peer Health Education programme in The Gambia, thus a non-Governmental organization that has been in The Gambia since 1985.

Speaking at the press conference, Mr Abdou A. Kandeh, programme manager of NSGA The Gambia, welcomed the media to the NSGA on the auspicious occasion of LOVE4 Gambia 2014.

This is an annual event, hosted by NSGA-Gambia office in preparation for volunteers from Canada to The Gambia to participate in this very important event, he said, adding that the it is a great event for NSGA-Gambia office as it had marked another important milestone on the calendar of the event.

Mr Kandeh went further to commend the man behind this event in The Gambia who came voluntarily to participate in the event which will cover 424km from Koina to Banjul.

He noted that the volunteer who is a Canadian came purposely to volunteer to run 425 km across the country just to save lives, and funds from the event would go in to support NGSA programmes and projects in The Gambia.

He applauded the NGSA intervention in school and communities using the peer health programme model, adding that “our programming focusing in school and communities would be supported by this run as sometimes we have financial difficulties to fund our events, and this is a great event that is going actually to close that gap”.

He added: “We are very much grateful to Canada and to our Gambian counterparts, who are here to join the run. This is a solidarity within Gambia and Canadian, which is coming together to run to save lives in The Gambia. So we have volunteers from the Gambian end who will run with the Canadian participants.

Pa Modou Sarr gave a brief account of the history of Love 4 Gambia, saying the exercise started in 2011.

He said: “The whole initiative was brought by a Canadian lady who had also Volunteers NSGA in The Gambia.

He said that when she went back to Canada she conceived this idea of having a run to raise money for the health education in The Gambia through NSGA peer health education program in the country.

He said that in 2011 she came to The Gambia personally to do the run with a team from The Gambia, which was very successful. 

He said that every year a female volunteer  used  to come to The Gambia to take part in the event but this year  turned to be  different as  a male volunteer  did come all the  way from Canada to participate in the event.

He then used the opportunity to thank the Canadian government for their support to help the Gambia people, particularly the NSGA.