As Ramadan draws nearer to mark an end to this rehabilitation exercise, the foundation’s officials revealed this to The Standard at Busumbala, Western Region, where they spent close to D100,000 on rehabilitation works on their ninth road (Conateh Kunda Street) since January. Most of this amount is spent on acquisition of gravel, transportation, labour and food for workers.
Conateh Kunda Street links Busumbala with Jambur, along with three kabilolu (Nema, Medina and Tintinbato). However, over the years the road has become impassable during the rains. The foundation has intervened in the context of their 2014 strategic plan to help address social constraints of needy communities.
VDF senior programme officer, Momodou Jagne, described the foundation’s intervention as “a stone that kills more than six birds”. He said the activity is cross-cutting in terms of benefits because it addresses environmental degradation and preservation, community initiative, mitigate disaster occurrence, along with the road access problem, the intervention will help reduce malaria and cholera incidences in the community.
Fatima Sisoho, a resident of the Conateh Kunda Street, described how she dropped her months-old baby when she fell into a pool of stagnant water with her baby strapped on her back last rainy season. With the baby under her right arm this Saturday, she thanked Momodou Turo Darboe for helping their community.
Jally Saho, president of the Busumbala Tintinbato Foundation, explained how in the rainy season, one of the resident families approached him to help transport an expectant woman to Brikama Health Centre. Forced to take a winding road due to the unmotorable state of the Conateh Kunda Street, the woman delivered in his car. “I called my sister who is a midwife and she gave me some instructions on the phone on how to handle the situation until we reached Brikama.”
During the works yesterday, another such birth nearly occurred but thankfully, a vehicle was used to rush the pregnant woman to Brikama. Farato has no health facility.
Musa Njie, VDF member, explained how Modou Turo Darboe continued his late father’s legacy of helping the needy people, which he started with giving foodstuff to sponsoring needy students during Ramadan, and rehabilitating roads leading to mosques and health facilities.
By Sanna Camara
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