By Arfang M.S. Camara
The people of Wellingara in the West Coast Region (WCR) have expressed displeasure over the way and manner in which the government Covid-19 food package is being distributed within the area.
President Adama Barrow launched the food relief package in April this year with the delivery of 230, 000 bags of 50kg broken rice, 230, 000 bags of 50kg sugar and 148, 000 of 10-liters of refined cooking oil to the country’s 84 percent vulnerable group.
However, Mariama Ceesay, a disappointed resident of the area told our reporter, who visited the distribution centre yesterday that, “it’s so disheartening the way the rice and sugar is being distributed within the community. She added, “what’s more painful is the fact that those that are responsible for distributing the rice and sugar claim that the food aid tickets that were meant for Wellingara Central and East have been “misplaced”.
She said, “I can clearly tell you that all the compounds around the distribution centers did not get their rice and sugar.”
She condemned the manner in which the food aid package is being distributed as totally unfair, asking rhetorically, “how can other communities far from the distribution centers get their share of the food aid while those of us living right around the centre still could not get ours?”
Mariama claimed that those that are tasked with the distribution are instead going around their own family compounds and giving them the tickets, something she said is the not the objective of the government food relief package.
“The rice is meant for Gambians and non-Gambians that are leaving in the country, thus there should be a demonstration of transparency and fairness during the distribution”.
Mariama bemoaned that the last time they were told that their tickets were in Brikama Wellingara but today they are being told that they are in fact in Youna.”
Haddy Jammeh is another resident of Wellingara who equally expressed frustration with the distribution method, stating their particular worry being the fact that still now their tickets have not reached them and most of the rice have already been distributed.
She equally worries that “the way people are gathering here just to get government food aid is not even safe for us, taking into account that we’re in the coronavirus pandemic. People are not observing social distancing as per World Health Organization and other expert guidelines and safety precautionary measures.”
According to her, they have been coming to the distribution centre since last week to get their share of the aid but were told that their tickets have been misplaced.
“We have being coming here since last week in order to get our share of the food aid. Every day, we arrive at the distribution centre as early as 7am in the morning. Unfortunately, we’re told that our tickets have been misplaced. How can that happen? They were the people that went around writing our names. So, how can they claim to have misplace our tickets?” she complained.
Saikou Joof, the Alkalo of Wellingara claimed the delay in people from Wilingara Central and East getting their share of the food aid emanated from Brikama.
He said “we’re also getting our supply in Brikama and at the moment I do not get the tickets for these two areas.”
He however expressed optimism that all those that have registered their names will get their rice and sugar, while urging the people to exercise patience. And dismissed rumors that some tickets have been misplaced.
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