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Stitching Stop Malaria holds clean-up exercise

Aug 10, 2010, 2:35 PM | Article By: Momodou Faal

In its drive to fight malaria in the country, Stitching Stop Malaria, a Non-Government Organisation based in Brusubi over the weekend embarked on a massive clean-up exercise in the village of Kunkujang Mariama in Kombo South.

The officials of the organisation and community members conducted the exercise in the village health post, premises of Saint Francis Church and the surrounding of the village.

Speaking in an interview with this paper, Marie Therese Njie, the President of Stitching Stop Malaria-The Gambia said her organisation has come to complement the efforts of the health sector in the fight against malaria.

She stated that through their partners in Holland, their organization had raised funds to build a hospital in Kunkujang Mariama, noting that prior to the clean-up exercise they have also distributed mosquito nets to some communities. She added that with their sister organisation in Holland, the fight against malaria is their primary focus, and they will closely work with different communities in the area.

For his part, Father Peter Gomez, the Parish Priest Saint Francis at Kunkujang commended Stitching Stop Malaria for the good initiative they have undertaken to clean the village. As he put it, it will prevent people from contracting malaria.

He added that the village has already allocated a land to Stitching Stop Malaria to build a hospital for the community, noting that their partnership with the organisation is a fruitful one.

He assured them that the partnership between the two groups will grow from strength to strength, and that the desired objective will be achieved.

Joseph Jatta, a board member of Stitching Stop Malaria Gambia said the aim of the exercise is to fight malaria, adding that though they started with Kunkujang but they will also collaborate with other communities.

Seedy Saidy-ba, also a member of the organisation based in Holland described the move taken by their Gambian counterparts as timely, while assuring them that the sister organisation in Holland will also raise more funds to support the fight against malaria in The Gambia.