By Kebba Ansu Manneh
At least forty (40) flood victims residing at Serrekunda Bartez and London Corner have benefited from food and cash donations largesse by the Emergency Relief Fund of the Serrekunda Food Bank. This was meant to put smiles on their faces barely two weeks after the communities among many others experienced Gambia’s worst flood incident in decades.
Speaking at the event, Honourable Musa Cham, National Assembly Member (NAM) for Serrekunda Constituency disclosed that the Emergency Relief Fund for the Serrekunda Community Food Bank was initiated when he was the Councillor of London Corner Ward. He said the initiative is specifically designed to respond to the needs of the victims of disasters within the communities of the London Corner ward.
He said the initiative has now expanded to cover Bartez Ward under his purview as the sitting NAM for the area. He, therefore, disclosed that forty victims drawn from both London Corner and Bartez wards have been identified as adversely affected which prompted the emergency response from his office to cater to the immediate needs of the flood victims in Serrekunda constituency.
Honourable Cham continued that each victim has received one bag of rice plus five hundred (D500) meant to support them during this trying time. He explained that the items and monies donated are solely the initiatives of the office of the National Assembly Member (NAM) of Serrekunda that is expected to reach out to many other victims.
Due to limited resources, he said their plans to reach out to many other flood victims within Bartez and London Corner could not materialise. He then called on the government, NGOs, associations, and individuals Gambians to take up the initiative to support multiple desperate flood victims within the country.
Councillor Karim Darboe for the Bartez Ward and Councillor Aji Sabtou Gaye for the London Corner Ward commended the initiative of the office of the NAM for Serrakunda Constituency. They said the intervention will go a long way in easing the woes of the beneficiaries.
They both promised to drum up more support for the flood victims living within the constituency from both government and NGOs while appealing to the general public especially businessmen and women to come forth and assist the flood victims.
Many of the beneficiaries who spoke to this medium expressed their relief and happiness towards this gesture highlighting their plights and concerns regarding the flash floods that virtually ruin their livelihoods.