Press Release
SDF Donates Learning Materials to Sika Lower Basic School and the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (aka Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital)
On Monday 12th December 2016, Sika Development Fund (SDF; a non-profit, apolitical and irreligious organisation with branches and in The Gambia, Europe and the United States) donated 500 exercise books of 80 pages each and other reading materials worth in total D10,000.00 to Sika Lower Basic School. During the presentation ceremony witnessed by Executive members of SDF, a representative of the Head Master of the school, parents and pupils, the President of the association Dr. Omar Janneh, explained that the donation of the educational materials is one of SDF’s strategic programme of activities (for more on SDF’s programme of activities visit https://sikadevelopmentfund.com/projects/ that will help improve the life-long ambitions of the pupils of the school, the country and the world. He emphasised that SDF attaches huge value and importance to sustainably improving the socio-economic conditions of the people of Sika. Since coming into existence in 2014, SDF has used the meager resources it raises through the annual subscriptions and voluntary donations of the members both in The Gambia and the diaspora to support impactful projects such as fisheries, healthcare and education. Dr. Janneh believes that the donation will go a long way in complementing the efforts of others in enhancing the educational attainment of the pupils and advised the pupils to take their studies seriously; and to compete on the basis of education, remain dedicated to their studies, believe in themselves and never give hope so that, working together, they can go forth to serve their communities and the world at large; doing what is instinctively right with the ultimate aim of making the world a much better place.
Cross section of SDF Executives, parents and pupils during the presentation ceremony. In receiving the donation on behalf of the Head Master of the School, Mr. Malamin Janneh (Assistant Treasurer, SDF) commended SDF for this incredible and thankful gesture, citing that the total cost of the books is over 3 times more than the total annual subscriptions paid by the whole village. He said since SDF started its sustainable development projects, its members have worked with unstoppable enthusiasm, love and dedication to improving the lives of others and gave his assurances that the items would be put to good use. He urged all to come together and work on the many challenges of the village that SDF is working to address. Also, in attendance at the presentation ceremony were Mr. Kemo Sonko (Vice President, SDF), Mr. Bajerreh Cham (Assistant Social and Mobilisation Secretary, SDF), Mr Lang Kamara (Teacher), Mr Bamba Sawo and Mr Hadiyatou Jaiteh (parents).
On a separate occasion, SDF presented 150 copies of British Medical Journals, a copy of British National Formulary (BNF) and Monthly Index of Medical Specialties (MIMS) to Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital on Friday 16th December 2016. During the presentation ceremony, Dr. Omar Janneh gave a brief history of how SDF came into existence and its aspirations for the future. He explained that SDF aims to make synergistic partnership with other like-minded organisations and bring about sustainable improvements in the lives of others, principally in areas such as welfare and education and that today’s donation underscores their vision. He described the health sector as a prime area of focus for SDF and assured the Management of the Hospital that, going forward, the donation was only a precursor to more to come.
Left to Right: Mr. Kemo Sonko, Mr. Omar N.R. Sonko (Adviser, SDF), Dr. Omar Janneh and Dr. Ahmadou Samateh. In receiving the donation on behalf of the Hospital Dr. Ahmadou Samateh, thanked SDF for its laudable gesture and expressed his profound appreciation for the gifts. He described the materials as an indispensable resource for all healthcare professional across the world which will allow them to see what their peers are doing elsewhere. Dr Samateh mentioned that there is a lot of untapped ideas for clinical research in The Gambia and he hoped that the publications in the journals will spur an interest in continuous professional development through collaborative research between clinicians and basic scientists within and outside the country which will ultimately lead to similar scholarly high impact peer-reviewed publications in journals such as the British Medical Journal. He assured the organisation that the books would be kept in a conducive environment and made accessible for the benefit of all.
Finally, SDF would appeal to anyone who would wish to support its development efforts to do so via https://sikadevelopmentfund.com/projects/ or if you wish to contact SDF for more information about its activities, please visit https://sikadevelopmentfund.com/contact/.