This group of philanthropist, which includes members both in The Gambia and abroad, came up with this initiative to render aid in the fight against coronavirus that continues to surge in the country. The donation is geared towards providing food to frontline workers in the country.
Representing Help 4 Frontline Workers, Lala Touray, said the group was established by Gambians home and abroad, who deemed it necessary to provide help to the frontline workers.
“Since COVID-19 started in The Gambia in March, we have done a series of sensitizations and donations by reaching out to people in need across the country.”
As the frontline workers continue to sacrifice their lives and resources to help curb the situation, Touray noted that they feel that the little they can do as citizens is to give back to the people who are in the fore front of the fight.
She maintained that their target is to reach out to frontline workers all over the country.
“We are just starting with 120 for today, but we will increase the number. With more funds we will be able to reach out to more people”.
She further called on Gambians to donate in this drive and every other initiative that aims to help Gambians and the country during these very difficult moments.
Saikou S. Bojang, president of The Gambia Chef Association, who also doubles as the Chairman of West Africa Chef Association, said as chefs they believe that those that do the best job are the hidden ones.
“Those that don’t get seen are those that are actually fighting technically on the ground to make sure that COVID-19 is contained in our country”.
Making reference to a survey that they did, Bojang stated that they saw the need to provide front liners especially those at the borders with food because most of the border lines do not have food centers to buy food amid the lockdown.
“In fact we realize that some border lines don’t even have water”.
This, he went on, is the reason why they came together to empower and to acknowledge the good job that the front liners are doing, adding that they are ready to support any group in the production of food.
Alasan Sengore, Secretary General of The Gambia Red Cross Society, described the gesture as timely and significant, saying it further manifests what “we need to do during these trying times which is collaboration and working together with the different sectors”.
Sengore maintained that frontline workers are very important as they are the ones who save lives and nobody can pay them for what they are doing.
Thus the gesture, he went on, will help to motivate them because it shows that people recognize the important work that they are doing.
