#National News

Martina’s Foundation to donate D1.2M worth of health, school items

Jun 9, 2020, 11:34 AM | Article By: Sheriff Janko

Martina’s Foundation, a registered charity in The Gambia is set to embark on an ambitious project; helping needy institutions with the arrival of its 40-feet container loaded with medical and school items.

The items, worth over D1.2M will be distributed among needy health and education facilities in the country in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the Point, Mariama Baldeh (Marong), secretary general of the foundation, explained that the foundation is a charity registered in 2019.

“It is a charity that seeks to support Gambians in different fields namely, health, agriculture and education”.

She disclosed that since its inception in 2019, the charity has been instrumental in supporting needy Gambians in the field of health by providing medical items such as drugs, wheel chairs, crutches and clothing to needy people.

She disclosed that the patrons of the foundation include a Gambian based in Spain, Jerreh Sano and his Spanish friends -Francis and Martina.

“We have just received medical items such as hospital beds, mattresses, wheel chairs, physiotherapy machines, thermometers, BP machines and clothing. As at now we are collaborating with the Ministry of Health. I just spoke with the director at the health ministry and they identify to us a new ward at Brikama Hospital that need support. The second institution is Kiang Karantaba health centre, which is also in need of support due to its location”.

She disclosed that their third target beneficiary is Jamally Health Post in Central River Region, saying they also want to reach out to Jarumeh Kuto School.

“We have some bicycles that we want to deliver to the needy pupils there. We learnt that there are a number of intelligent students there but because of distance to the school they’ve to drop out” she added.

On their future programmes, she stated that they also want to focus in providing potable drinking water to needy villages in the provinces.

“When they were here last year, they visited two villages in CRR and URR where they want to support the communities with potable drinking water. Right now they on the verge of drilling a borehole for these two communities”

She therefore thanked the Ministry of Health for their active role in clearing the container at the ports as well as Martina’s Foundation team for a job well done.

 She thanked Gambians for their show of appreciation, saying the people are always appreciative of their little support, which she said, gives them the courage to do more.