(Thursday 12th March 2020 Issue)
The
community of Sare Samba Tacko village commonly referred to as ‘Ndikiri-kunda’
in the Upper Fulladu district, CRR over the weekend benefited from a new
state-of-the-art ambulance thanks to a group of philanthropists based in the
United Kingdom.
The
Ambulance was donated by Mr. Bulert Sener, family and friends . A Turkish based
in Hamburg, Germany. The Ambulance worth 12,000 Euros.
In
a similar move, the community also received a modest donation of about
one-hundred and fifty set of furniture from one Hendry Bebber a journalist based in UK through Fulladu
Foundation.
Welcoming
the guests, Mansa Sabally, the village head of Sare Samba Tacko, while thanking
Allah for making their dream comes true, also commended the link coordinator
through Sare Samba Youth Development Association for making the event possible.
He
described the presentation of the ambulance as a ‘long overdue’, acknowledging
that women in the area have been faced with serious challenges especially in
getting referrals to Bansang hospital.
Therefore,
the coming of this state-of-the-art ambulance, he observed, would not only help
the community of Sare Samba Tacko but the entire Upper Fulladu district.
He
thanked the donors for the move, further assuring that the Ambulance will be
used for its intended purpose.
For
his part,Musa Jallow, Chairman of Sare Samba Youth Development Association,
hailed the donors for this magnificent gesture, noting that the significance of
this new ambulance cannot be over emphasized, considering the distance of the
village to the main referral hospital in Bansang.
“This
link came about when one of our guests who visited the said village went into
labour and was referred to Bansang hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, she
delivered but the child passed away due to the long distant they travelled to
the hospital. I want to take this opportunity to advise the youths to maintain
unity and hard work”
Jallow
also called on health experts to assist the community in keeping proper
management of the new ambulance. However, he was quick to clarify that the
ambulance is for every sick patient in the area.
Also
speaking on behalf of the village heads – Demba Baldeh, acknowledged that
arrival of the ambulance is a big boost to the entire Upper Fulladu,
considering the fact that it would now reduce the daily drudgery women normally
face in assessing the hospital. He thus challenged the people of the area to
ensure proper care of the new ambulance so as to serve its purpose.
He
observed that for far too long the people of the area have been complaining
about ambulance coupled with the horrible road conditions.
He
thus appealed to the relevant authorities to help the community with feeder
roads to facilitate easy movement of people especially patients during
referrals. This, he observed, would also help a great deal in the sustenance of
the ambulance during the rainy season.
Hon.
Sanna Jawara, National Assembly Member for Upper Fulladou expressed
appreciation to association for the gesture.
The
new ambulance, he went on, would go a long way in helping timely referrals at
Bansang, further disclosing that plans are underway to address the poor road
networks in the area.
The
Upper Fulladu lawmaker further thanked the donors and the link coordinator,
Musa Jallow for making the donation a reality.
Mr. Hendrik
Bebber, director, Fulladou Foundation also thanked the community of Sare Samba
for the warm welcome accorded to him during the handing over of the ambulance
and the furniture.
He
lamented that they have been supporting the village of Sare Samba over the
years. He added that considering the condition of the women in getting access
to hospital for delivery, they found it necessary to give support to the said
community in the area of education and health.
The
presentation ceremony was graced by government officials, reps from Regional
Education and Regional Health Directorates among a cross-section of the
community of Sare Samba Tacko.