SOS-Gambia,
a charitable foundation based in Denmark, in partnership with Foundation for
Needy Gambia (FON-Gambia), is embarking on a two-week bursary payment for 200
students across The Gambia. The students
comprise those from nursery to senior secondary school.
The
bursary programme is an annual activity of the two foundations to pay the
tuition of the students they sponsor in The Gambia.
The
national coordinator of FON-Gambia, Omar MJP Ndow, explained that every year,
the chairperson of SOS-Gambia in Denmark, Susanne Peteisen, and her team travel
to The Gambia to make payment to the students being sponsored by the
foundation.
Mr
Ndow said the event does not only focus on bursary payment but also offer
support to other projects all over The Gambia.
“Now
that students in Gambia do not pay school fees, what we do is to give some cash
to the parents to take care of some of the needs of their children. The money we give them is to buy uniforms,
books, school bus fare, and other educational expenses,” he said.
Mr
Ndow commended Madam Susanne, chairperson of SOS-Gambia in Denmark, for her
continuous support to The Gambia.
He
said this year, the foundation has come up with two projects - building a store
and toilets for girls and boys, and a technical department to offer
construction, architectural designing, and electrical installation along side
other academic courses.
He
said Gambians “really appreciate” the contribution of the Danish foundation for
it has been helpful to Gambians not only in paying the tuition but also coming
up with projects to help the youth not to risk their lives to Europe through
the Mediterranean Sea.
For
her part, Susanne Peteisen of SOS–Gambia said she has been coming to The Gambia
since 2004.
She
had served as a volunteer nurse for six months at the Serekunda health centre
in Kanifing. It was upon her return home
to Denmark that she decided to form a foundation to help The Gambia,
particularly children.
The
foundation started by mobilising fund from her friends, family, partners to
sponsor few children. Today, the
foundation sponsors 200 students from nursery to senior secondary school across
The Gambia.
Madam
Peteisen said her foundation had built a skills training centre in Tujereng
last year to help the youth of the village and other neighbouring villages to
acquire skills to be employed or be self-employed and be productive in the
future.
She
said the new direction of the foundation is on skills training, not the usual
sponsoring of students, to help more young people to acquire skills.