On gov’t food relief package!

It’s better late than never. The president of the Republic of The Gaambia, Adama Barrow on Sunday launched an ambitious food support package that will cater for at least 84% of the country’s about two million people. The total cost is estimated around 734 million dalasi.

This relief package comes in a form of bags of 50kg of 100% broken rice, 50kg bags of sugar and 10-litre drums of refined cooking oil.

We want to thank the government for the move, as it will go a long in ameliorating the living condition of Gambians especially the most vulnerable.

Since the announcement of the State of Public Emergency some weeks ago, lives have changed for many families in the country especially the vulnerable families, who struggle on daily basis to provide food for their families.

It has impacted heavily on economies around the globe, businesses and even ordinary people on the streets.

And one of the measures put in place by government during the outbreak of this deadly virus is the declaration state public emergency, which has both good and bad effects.

While on the one hand, it has been effective in helping to contain the spread of the disease, on the other, it has put at risk many lives, especially the vulnerable population who earn on a daily basis to live a hand-to-mouth existence.

Therefore, the announcement of this relief package which targets tens of thousands of families, is indeed a welcome move.

We only hope that those who will be in-charge of the distribution exercise do justice to the whole process by making sure that those that need it most are catered for. Let’s remember that transparency and accountability are critical, as it forms one of the cornerstones in any governance system.

Suffice it to state that we are all affected by this pandemic, but the extent of our circumstances varies. Even those families, who rely heavily on remittances send by their sons and daughters from abroad, would also share a similar difficult story.  This is even manifested in the drastic drops in remittance off recent times.

Therefore, let us ensure that the food to be distributed reaches even the remotest corners of country. Remember that helping your neighbourhood in need is even encouraged by all major religions of the world.

“There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.”

Mohandas Gandhi