Bakoteh receives 104 bags of rice from diaspora

The Bakoteh diaspora has recently donated 104 bags of rice to the village in a ceremony held at the Bantaba mosque.The bags of rice, which were immediately distributed among the mosques in the village and the needy, were bankrolled by the natives of Bakoteh residing in the diaspora as part of their contribution towards the development of the village. The distribution was coordinated by VDC and the Central Development Association under the supervision of the alkalo and the councillor.Speaking at the presentation, the Chairman of the Bakoteh Village Development Committee, Sainey Beyai, said the donation from the village diaspora is timely and very useful.“We wish all of them the best and encourage other natives living abroad to emulate their brothers and sisters. We hope that with the prayers of our elders and our general commitment towards the common good of Bakoteh, we will be there very soon,” he said.He said the rice would be distributed among the old, poor, and mosques across the village. He appealed to those who may not be lucky enough to receive the donation this year to understand that it cannot reach every household.“I urge the village to pray for the young people of the village who are in the diaspora trying to secure papers and those who are here and want to go,” he said.The Bakoteh alkalo, Tijan Jasseh, thanked the entire village and the diaspora for their continued collaboration and support of the village.“I am very happy about this initiative because it shows those who left the village and travelled abroad have not forgotten the village. I also want to thank the VDC for coordinating development initiatives in the village,” he said. The alkalo took time to urge the young to avoid drugs and focus on building their future. He said families who have their sons and daughters in the diaspora and are not contributing to the yearly donation should be encouraged to do so.The councillor of Bakoteh ward, Lamin K Jammeh commended the village diasporans who contributed to the donation and the Village Development Committee (VDC) for their support to ensure that the distribution is done judiciously.“When this started a few years ago, some people thought it would not continue, but thank God it has now become the norm, and we are very grateful to those who are contributing to it. The diaspora is doing a lot for the village, including the construction of the mosque, the village cemetery, and other development initiatives,” he added.He urged others who have not been participating in village development initiatives to come forward and join.“We want all to understand that this is not about tribe, religion, or politics,” he said.