Mr Senghore, who returned to The Gambia in November 2018 to serve the GRCS for a second time, left his post after serving the GRCS for nearly 5 years.
Fatou Kinneh Jagne, a senior Red Cross volunteer, in her remarks at the farewell ceremony, described Mr Senhgore as a person with “good heart” who led by example.
“We will never have someone of your calibre again,” she said with reverence and tears. “You took the national society from zero to hundred percent. Even the blind can see your contribution to the transformation of the Gambia Red Cross Society.”
Omar T.D. Ndaw, senior volunteer at Banjul Red Cross Branch, said that at some point Mr Senghore worked for the GRCS for 6 months without payment.
He added that Mr Senghore’s lack of payment never resulted in him relenting in his service to humanity.
He also described Mr Senghore as someone who never entertained corruption, adding that his vision has always been the advancement of the GRCS and serving humanity.
Under Senghore’s leadership, he said, the GRCS registered “tremendous” successes and transformation.
Sanna Dahaba, executive director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), described Senghore as a “supermarket of knowledge” in terms of humanitarian work. He pointed out that Senghore transformed the GRCS to a developmental agency hence thanked him for his service to humanity.
Abdoulie Fye, director of operations and programmes at GRCS, said Mr Senghore motivated and inspired them to do things at their right time and with quality during his time as SG.
“Mr Senghore worked with honesty and dedication, and also instilled the same mentality in us to ensure that the national society becomes a well-functioning one,” he said.
He also highlighted that Senghore’s hard work and dedication made a significant difference in them and humanity in general.
He concluded: “We appreciate your commitment and quality of work you delivered every day. You made us hungry to serving humanity and we have seen the impact it has made in the lives and livelihood of people we serve as well as staff and volunteers of the GRCS. We will continue knocking on your door to ensure we continue to achieve our dreams.”
Ousainou Jallow, national treasurer for the GRCS, said the national society struggled with vehicles before Senghore took over but now they could boast of a fleet of vehicles. “Alasan has raised the bar so high and has left us with a huge vacuum to fill,” he added.
Fabakary Kalleh, president of the Gambia Red Cross Society, said that under Senghore’s leadership, the GRCS increased its business portfolio by over 300 per cent.
“You (Senghore) transformed the face of the national society and we thank you for your service and mentorship,” he said, adding that they would work to ensure the national society does not go down again.
Out-going Secretary General Alasan Senghore, in his remarks, said he was motivated to come back and serve the Gambian people and also uplift the national society because of the trust the previous governing board, staff and volunteers of the Society had in him and also because the national society was struggling while he was “enjoying” in New York.
“I am leaving a happy person that over the past 5 years we were able to deliver together,” he said, calling on all to consolidate the gains and build sustainability mechanisms for the national society.
He also urged the management, governance and volunteers to work together as a team to consolidate what they have built together and ensure service delivery, accountability, timely delivery, value their partners and embrace innovation.
Mr Senghore thanked the Gambia government for creating the enabling environment for them to operate as well as for being supportive and collaborative.
He also thanked his staff and urged them not to be afraid to be creative. He appreciated the Italian and Spanish Red Cross Societies, International Federation for Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, the European Union and other partners for their support.
