The Muslim Global Relief (MGR) in collaboration with Rural Urban Charitable Association, the Gambia (RUCA) in their school support program on Saturday donated school materials to two hundred and fifty-four students at Keneba Islamic Institute, Kiang West district, Lower River Region. The distributed stationeries include books, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, and sharpeners among others. The school administration also received two cartons of dustless chalks and markers. “If you want to build a strong nation you should have strong educational institutions with the proper learning and teaching materials. That’s why we are here in partnership with MGR to support the needy community of Keneba by providing learning materials to over 250 children and giving the school boxes of chalk and other teaching materials” Lamin Jobe, RUCA project coordinator said. He said the distribution is geared towards helping students of Keneba Islamic Institute facilitate their learning process. He advised students to be steadfast and disciplined in their education to be able to contribute to the socioeconomic development of their community.
He added that much is expected of the students as members of the community in Keneba and citizens of the Gambia at large. “We are here today to distribute school materials but the program is not only limited to the people of Kiang Keneba, “ he said. In his welcoming remark, Sidia Finding Ceesay said the initiative is helpful to the parents as it goes to subsidize expenditure on their children’s education by providing the much-needed learning materials which most parents find difficult to afford due to lack of resources. “These materials are very important to the academic lives of the students and their parents alike, for instance, the parents need not buy these materials for them at least for some time to come,” he said. He again thanked the MGR and RUCA and assured the donors that the materials will go a long way toward helping the students and the school in their learning and teaching.
Lamin J. Ceesay, the president of RUCA said the organization is exultant to bring help to the people of Keneba, thanking MGR for the collaboration. He highlighted the previous successful activities of the organization in the community, anticipative that the material will be put to proper use so as to be of great benefit to the beneficiaries. In appreciation of the donated materials, Ara Ceesay, mother of a beneficiary commended the benefactors, stating that they are relieved of a burden as far as buying the supplied stationeries is concerned. She appealed for more support, calling on other organizations to emulate MRG and RUCA. Jonyi Ceesay also a mother of a beneficiary said: “What deepens our delight about the benevolence of the donors most is that the support came at a time when we were not expecting it.”
Binta Ceesay, a beneficiary expressed her glee for the help extended to her and her fellow students, promising that they will make the best use of the donated materials in their learning. Speaking on behalf of the Keneba village, Kabiro Ceesay, chairman of the Village Development Committee, described the support as timely and necessary. Hoping for continuity and benefiting from similar support, the administrative secretary of Keneba Islamic Institute, Oustash Ebrima Ceesay called for intervention and support for the fencing, water supply, and the salaries of the teachers at the school. “We do all our administrative work by handwriting because we don’t have computers, printers, and other office needs. Meanwhile, other speakers at the presentation ceremony expressed similar views.
Sponsored by: MGR, RUCA SUPPORT OVER 250 STUDENTS AT KENEBA ISLAMIC INSTITUTE
