By Saidou Baldeh
Yasally charity Gambia, a non-profit organisation founded by a Gambian based in Denmark, has donated school materials and sport gears worth over a million dalasi to several schools in Lower Niumi and Upper Niumi.
Pakau Njogu, Demba Holley, Kerr Mama, Kerr Cherno, Albreda, Sika, Lamin, Sittanunku, Bakindik, Medina Sering Mass, Ndungu Kebbeh and Pakau Saloum schools all benefitted from sport jerseys, footballs and learning materials. The Albreda cluster monitors also donated 22 chairs and 10 tables. The charity has been donating to these schools for the past seven years.
The founder of the charitable organisation, Modou Ceesay, said the charity named after his mother [Yasally] aims at supporting schools in his native Niumi with the necessary materials to deliver effective learning.
The principal of Ndungu Kebbeh Upper and Senior Secondary School, Bai Jobe, said the materials donated by Denmark based foundation will contribute tremendously in addressing some of the challenges schools like his are facing in terms of basic needs. He said the country needs people like Mr Ceesay to invest in education as the government “cannot do it all alone”.
“This year alone my school has received hundreds of chairs and tables and other valuable learning materials from the foundation. It is safe to say they are seriously complimenting the efforts of the government,” he said.
The former Kerr Cherno Senior school principal said though the government is trying to meet the needs of schools around the country “it is impossible for them to satisfy all the schools”.
“So really, the donation could not have come at a better time giving the dire condition the school is at the moment in terms of infrastructure,” he said.
He said the condition of the school “was so dire that sometimes he will go out and borrow chairs to avoid circumstances where his students will sit on the floor”.
“I just want to assure donors and communities coming to this school that these materials will be taken good care of to ensure its sustainability. I also want to encourage students to take good care of them,” he said.
He said the school is also grappling with lack of enough classrooms to shelter the over 400 students it enrolled.
“We just have six classrooms to cater for both the Upper and Senior schools. This is not even near enough. I want to call on other philanthropists to come to the aid of the school. We are committed to give our best to our students but without the necessary tools to do so it will be difficult,” he said.
Principal of all the other beneficiary schools have expressed delight over the donation and assured the donor the materials will be taken good care of for sustainability purposes.
