By Landing Ceesay
Banjulunding Orphanage on Wednesday received a donation of food items worth about Two-hundred thousand Dalasi from Ambassador at-Large Tan Sri Dr Aixinjueluo Yuhao, Special Envoy Agriculture- Dr. Fan, and Honorary Consul – Dr. Yap.WH.
The donated items include 20 bags of (50kg) rice, 10 bags of potato, 10 bags of onion, 10 gallons of cooking oil, 10 cartons of milk powder, 40 bags of noodles, 2 cartons of eggs, and 10 boxes of butter.
Shortly after receiving the donated items, Abdoulie Jallow, the Secretary General of the Orphanage lauded the timelines of the donation and said the food items would go a long way in helping them; especially during the Ramadan.
“We are really happy to receive these items today. This donation will help us a lot and it is a timely one. Because Ramadan is just around the corner and we all know how expensive commodities are in this country,” Mr. Jallow said. “We are indeed very happy for the donation and we are hoping to see more of this kind; especially Ramadan is coming. ‘Alhamdulillah (Thank God)’! These items will help us a lot as we enter into the Ramadan, ‘Insha Allah’.”
Honourable Mbemba Touray, Counsellor Lamin Ward said the donation came at a right time when the prices of the essential commodities keep increasing.
“We all know the situation in the country that the prices of commodities have increased significantly. So the coming of these items would help the Orphanage a lot. The Orphanage needs these bags of rice and other items a lot,” he said. “We are very happy to have these items here at the Orphanage. Two years ago they were here before the Covid-19 to donate food items to the Orphanage and they promised that they would come and here they are again. So we are praying for them to come back again next year.”
Meanwhile, Special Envoy Agriculture, Dr Fan, one of the donors, expressed that their mission is to serve the Gambian people and to develop the agricultural system.
The donor felt gratified seeing smiles on the faces of the children and the management staff of the Orphanage, following the assistance.
“I want to bring more resources to help Gambian agriculture, to attract more support for The Gambia, to develop the Gambian farms and plant more fruit and vegetables for the people,” the donor.
Another donor, Honorary Consul, Dr. Yap WH, echoed similar sentiments, adding that they work for everything to boost The Gambia economically, socially and progressively.
Ambassador at-Large Tan Sri Dr Aixinjueluo Yuhao could not make it to the occasion.
The presentation ceremony of the food items to the orphanage with 116 orphans drawn from various parts of the country in Banjulunding.