Speaking at the launching of the charity at Brikama Red Cross conference hall, he revealed: ”We have already paid the school fees of four students two of whom are attending Bottrop Upper Basic, one at Tujereng Senior Secondary and one at Management Development Institute (MDI) to the tune of D10,665.
“About fifty students will be supported by the charity part of which ten will awarded to the ward councilor, Yaya Bojang, to also support others within his ward. The sponsorship package will commence in the third term and from there the person will be supported until the end of his/her schooling .The main sponsor has made it clear that he can only pay for school fees but not any book bills.”
Speaking further, Mr Colley told parents that the goal of the foundation is not to concentrate its operations only in Brikama and the Kombos, but across the breadth and length of the country.
Landing Touray, a Gambian-born disk jockey domiciled in Finland who founded the organisation and doubles as its chief executive officer, said it was established in Finland on 14 March 2011 with the aim of supporting needy Gambian students and was officially registered in The Gambia on the 30th December 2012.
He added: “Helping my people is a great concern to me and the foundation. I will do my very best in promoting the education of the fifty students that will be selected based on the criteria of the charity. As the famous English saying goes, ‘charity begins at home’ and that is the reason we are here today launching the charity in order to honor our town and her people”.
However, Mr Touray asserted that the continuity of the sponsorship of students will be contingent upon “acceptable academic performance”.
“If a sponsored child fails twice in a term, we will send a signal to the parents as a warning to the student and if there is no progress, we will cancel the sponsorship,” he said.
Yaya Bojang, councilor for Suba Ward, commended the charity for their humanitarian overtures, noting that education is the key to success in life.
“As the ward councilor, I am ready to promote this partnership with the charity because they are here to promote and develop The Gambia. The CEO of the foundation is a patriotic citizen who loves his people and the country as a whole,” he stated.
Concluding, councilor Bojang urged other Gambians in the diaspora, especially natives of Brikama, to emulate the founder of Masta Lion Promotion Landing Touray.
By Alieu Darboe
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