The ceremony also witnessed the laying of the foundation stone for a water project for the children’s ward of the hospital.
The clubs’ activities also witnessed the presentation of learning materials to the Bright Star Primary and Nursery School in Old Yundum, which included exercise books, pencils and other learning materials.
The medical items donated included M 20 median patient monitor, defibrillator DG 4000 with paddles, pacemaker defigard 4000, defigard 4000 AED, and a hand Vacq-Breezer, just to name a few, to fight against the Ebola virus.
A building containing 8 washing rooms, 8 toilets and 10 changing rooms with a sitting place will also be built by the Rotarians at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul to support the health sector in The Gambia.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the President of the Rotary Club of Fajara, Ms Adam Wadda Jammeh, explained briefly about Rotarians, their aims, objectives and targets to achieve as an organization, as well as some of their interventions within the communities across the country, particularly in the Central River Region.
According to Ms Jammeh, they initially started by being a humanitarian organisation dealing mainly with polio eradication, which led them to distribute a lot of Rotary signboards all over the country.
However, she said, it was deemed fitting to go beyond not only eradication of polio and extend its interventions, and they subsequently constructed 12 to 14 water projects in CRR.
She added that last year the Rotary Club of Fajara completed a project at Brikama Lower Basic School by building a kitchen and refurbishing some of the school furniture.
Ms Wadda Janmmeh said her organization was geared toward complementing the government’s efforts through focusing on maternal and child health, water and sanitation, peace and conflict resolution, and economic development.
This was the first structural project that they have, and hoped it would be the beginningof several other structures that they could lay on the ground, she went on.
The cost of the items presented was 25,960 pounds equivalent to about D1.7 million, she announced.
The Chief Medical Director of Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mhd Ammar Al Jafari, expressed gratitude to the Rotary Club of Fajara for their support to the hospital, which is meant for all the Gambian people, adding that the support would go a long way in addressing most of the burdens of the Gambian population.
He, therefore, acknowledged the efforts of the Rotary Foundation based in UK and their counterpart in The Gambia; and encouraged them to provide more support in the health sector.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Omar Sey, also expressed gratitude to the Rotary Foundation, adding that this presentation of Rotary medical items and building of the facilities would go a long way in supporting the Gambian people.
Minister Sey acknowledged all the work done for the hospital by the Rotary Club of Fajara in complementing the effort of the Government of the Gambia, noting that this was not the first time they have been supporting the hospital.
He described the gift as long overdue, as it would contribute in the fight to keep The Gambia Ebola-free.
On behalf of the Gambian leader and the entire Gambian people, Dr. Sey thanked the Rotarians Foundation of UK for their support and intervention in The Gambia.
Dr. Sati Rahmon Chairman, Education Admin Rotary Club of Fajara, thanked the Government of the Gambia for creating the enabling space for them to give their support to the Gambian people.
He said they could not do all, but would try to contribute their quota to support the country both in the health and the education sectors.
He said laying of the foundation stone of the Wash for Health Project is a project that is supported in collaboration with the Rotary Club Global Riders in the UK, Rotarians Club of Fajara in partnership and collaboration with the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital.
He acknowledged the Value Engineering Company for the invaluable support in the project, adding that the objective of the project is to help support The Gambia as a country through the Ministry of Health in the area of water sanitation hygiene.
Meanwhile, the headmistress of the Bright Star Primary and Nursery School, Ms Betty Gomez, expressed her great happiness to the Rotary Club of Fajara for coming to intervene in the school.
She said the materials would go a long way in helping the students of the school in their learning process, and assured the donors of utilizing the materials for the intended purpose.
