First Lady donates New Year babies

By Juldeh Njie & Aminata Ceesay Operation Save the Children Foundation, OSCF, under the leadership of the First Lady Madam Zineb Jammeh has donated D15.000 to each of the four babies born in the early hours of New Year’s Day at the Serekunda General Hospital in Kanifing. The same gesture was repeated at the Jammeh Foundation for Peace Hospital presided over by Vice President Dr Isatou Njie Saidy and Edward Francis Hospital in Banjul presided over by the first Lady herself. The presentation of gifts and cash prizes in Serekunda was performed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Neneh MacDouall Gaye on behalf of the First Lady and was attended by staff from Gamcel/Gamtel, Ecobank, the SOS Director and Haddy Nyang, the National Assembly member for Jeshwang. In his opening remarks, the chief executive officer of the hospital Saidu Beyai, thanked the donors for the gesture. “We want to improve the health care system to enable Gambians and non-Gambians alike to have access to better health care facilities. We have on average 12 deliveries per day and on average also we have three caesarean sections for mothers who find it difficult to deliver,” he said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Neneh MacDouall-Gaye, who spoke on behalf of the First Lady, expressed delight and congratulated the mothers, doctors and nurses on their safe delivery. Meanwhile, the Vice President Dr Aja Isatou Njie presided over a similar ceremony at the Jammeh Foundation where D118,000 was presented to the first baby boy of the year nationwide and D115,000 to the first baby girl in JFP hospital. She too was representing Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh. The first New Year born baby boy was born at 12:02am and weighed 4.37 kg, his parents are Awa Mendy and Joseph Mendy living in Busumbala. The first baby girl at JFP hospital was born at 1:12am and weighed 2.75 kg, by Binta Sajor father, Momodou Mag Jallow living in Tallinding. The exercise continues into the provinces with presentations to take place in Farefenni, Bansang and Bwiam today.]]>