The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, has disrupted people’s lives and livelihoods, especially those in local communities. In this difficult time, individuals and organisations are doing their best to feed people in need within their communities and across the country.
In this light of this, natives of Sukuta both at home and abroad have supported the community’s health centre with medical items. They also donated over three hundred thousand Dalasis for the purchase of food items to the needy and most vulnerable members of the community.
Speaking on behalf of the community at the presentation ceremony held at the Sukuta Health Sukuta, Alkalo, Ba Ismaila Cham, said he was pleased to receive such items.
For his part, Buba Cham, the chairman of the Village Development Committee (VDC) of Sukuta, explained how the Sukuta community came with an idea to set up a task force in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, called ‘Sukuta Covid-19 task force'. This task force, he said, has since been sensitising the community about the danger of the coronavirus.
He went on: “We’ve being going around the community to put hand-wasting stations all over the place. When we started this, our efforts became known to the natives of Sukuta all over the world. As a result, our brothers and sisters in the diaspora also came up with a programme that says: ‘Each person, feed one’.
Mr Cham disclosed that since then they have donated a $5000 (US dollars) towards the mitigation of COVID -19.
The VDC Chairman further remarked: “We know the fact that since the COVID-19 started, there have been families who cannot make their earnings as they use to. We are aware that markets are closed at 1pm. Businesses are also close but not early. A lot of economic activities have been affected; as a result of that their economic activities are being affected,” he said.
According to the chairperson, the community has also raised some funds, which they will put everything together and buy rice (food items) for the needy people. Abass Cham, a member of NASUA who made the presentation of the cheque said this was not their first activities within their community. “We have been participating in various activities like sports, helping the needy in the community,” he added.