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By Mariama Jobarteh
The community of Fula Bantang village in the Central River Region is appealing for the donation of food items for more than 1000 members of the community.
In an open letter written by the Fula Bantang Youth Development Association (FYDA) to donors, the community based association said the appeal was prompted by the state of public emergency that has been imposed by the government which will adversely restrict the movement of people.
‘’As a result of these measures, we are afraid that our people who are predominantly farmers and petty traders, will increasingly find it diffficult to put food on the table,’’ the letter signed by Momodou Dumbuya Mballow, the secretary general of the association, who is also a senior police officer and a lawyer reads. It further stated that the suspension of open markets widely known as ‘’lumos’’ in the Gambia has adversely hit the community because a vast majority of its members eke out a living from such markets through the sale of locally produced vegetables and other food items.
Fula Bantang village is one of the oldest communities in The Gambia; its mission school established in the early 1930s popularized the community after Christian missionaries brought children from various parts of the country to study in the village before going to secondary school.
Over the past years, not much progress has been registered by the Jawara, Jammeh and the current Barrow administration. Thanks to non-government organizations and philantrophists, Fula Bantang benefited from numerous community development projects. The lack of a comprehensive development plan by government did not in any dampen the mood of its natives, who are now taking it upon themselves to look from within to actualize their dream: ‘’ As a traditional settlement, we are not going to fold our hands and wait for aid from somewhere, we’ve already started dipping from our pockets to buy items that are required to ensure rigid personal hygiene in our community and the appeal for food is something we want to extend to everyone here in the Gambia and abroad’’ said Kelepha Kandeh, president of FYDA and also a regional health promotion officer posted in the Upper River Region.
The appeal letter concluded by stating that the following individuals have been tasked with the responsibility of coordinating the initiative can be contacted for more information and those willing to help; Bubacarr Sabally, via whatsapp 7299538/7445518/3925518, Kelepha Kandeh, 7945811/3945811/6945811, Ramatoulie Dem-Bojang, 9988609/5011860, Hassan Baldeh, 3985570 and Fatoumatta Gano- 3193477.