By Olimatou Coker
Wheel for Health (WFH) recently handed over four wheel pick up vehicle to National Eye Health Programme (NEHP) at a ceremony held at Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre office in Kanifing.
Speaking at the ceremony, head and board chair of wheel for health, Ellen Van Schaik, gave a brief overview of the organisation, saying it was founded in November 2015 and the foundation was formerly registered in Holland as a charitable foundation.
Madam Van Schaik said the foundation has a board of three members in Holland and two members in Gambia as local counterparts.
“The main aim of the foundation is to provide ‘wheel’ for the provision of health in the hospital in particular and the Gambia health system in general,” she said.
According to her, the foundation from 2015 to date has provided 152 bicycles to staff of the Bwiam General Hospital and some of them secured the bicycles for their children who are going to school.
She added that the foundation has also donated two vehicles, ambulance, a pick-up and a motorbike to Bwiam General Hospital in 2017 to help in the provision of quality health care to populace.
“I am pleased to inform all that the vehicles and motor cycle were all found in good working condition in our recent visit to the hospital, Sunday 13th May 2018. The wheel for health foundation (WFH) as part of its drive to help in women empowerment has donated a commercial transport (Gele-Gele) to the women group (Bulugi) of Bwiam, Kankuntu to assist them in the transportation of their vegetables products to Brikama market,” she noted.
For his part, Country Representative of Wheel for health (WFH), Mr. Saidu Beyai, said: “This charitable foundation was founded by my partner Mrs Ellen with the sole aim of complementing the effort of the government of the Gambia in strengthening the health care delivery system. As we all know government alone cannot do it all, therefore it needs partners like us to complement its drive in this noble goal.”
Mr Beyai called on the recipients to “greatly” take care of the vehicle.
The programme manager National Eye Health Programme (NEHP), Mr Sajor Kanyi, thanked the board members of the foundation for their hard work and dedication to see this donation becomes successful.
