Gambians Association in Crawley, UK donates to needy families in KMC

Foday Drammeh

The Gambians Association in Crawley Town, United Kingdom, once again extended its gesture by presenting over 19 bags of rice and a cash amount of D250 as fish money to about 40 needy families within the Kanifing Municipal Council recently.

The presentation, which was held at the then Muslim Aid UK field office in Kanifing, is the second time in two years since the foundation of the Gambian association based in Crawley Town UK.

Just after five years of existence, the association has a membership of over two hundreds Gambians living in the town.

The association was formed with the aim and objective of bringing Gambians together to foster cooperation, unity and understanding among themselves in Diaspora especial in Crawley Town. Another must important objective is to preserved culture in the Diaspora by coming together to observe some cultural activities such as wadding and naming ceremonies.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the presentation ceremony, a former executive member of the association, Foday F.B Drammeh said this annual gesture is part of the association’s initiative to help the needy families in the country from their ‘Zakatu-Fitr’ money after every year after Koriteh or Tobaski prayers.

Mr Drammeh said: “from 2011, Gambians back home have started benefiting from their initiatives, the first lot of ‘Zakatu-Fitr’ we collected from members in Crawley, some amounting to over D11, 000 was sent to the needy families. In 2012, the amount was increased to D26, 750 out of which we bought 19 bags of rice and keep an amount of D10, 000. This was distributed among the needy Gambians, we initial wanted to give each of the beneficiaries a bag of rice, but because of high demand, we share two family head per bag plus a cash amount of D250,” Mr Drammeh said.

Mr Drammeh who is currently residing in the country serves as an intermediary body between the association in UK and Muslim Aid The Gambia Foday F.B Drammeh 

He continued that “we had the pleasure of doing it in-conjunction with our partners Muslim Aid The Gambia who help us in distributing the items to the needy families in the communities. We know that in The Gambia not all of us are equal, but also know that as Muslims, we need to give and share. That idea of sharing is what we are transforming today by helping the needy Gambians,” the association’s national intermediary Drammeh said.

Commenting on the relationship between Gambians Association in Crawley Town, UK and Muslim Aid The Gambia he said “the relationship between us and Muslim Aid is a short of partnership, as you know they [Muslim Aid] are here to help Gambians especial Muslims. And this money was collected through ‘Zakatu-Fitr’ in which the only way to get reward out of it is by giving it to the needy people. Muslim Aid been a charitable organization partnering with us, we have being able to do it through following their advice,” he said.

“In-terms of efficiency, we are very proud to say that how efficiency we are. When you at the association in its early days, it was very young and not many Gambians were part of it. As at today we are proud to say that we have a membership of over two hundreds Gambians individual family heads”.

“Among the things that we do are trying to promote unity among ourselves which is definitely helping? In a society if you live, problems will arise, that is why we have created different sectors namely: religious sector to advice us on religious matter and the elderly council who also advice us on what to do. Of course we have personal problems among ourselves as well, but through the council and the executive, they definitely work out issues and come to compromise”. He said.

Ansumana Dibba former programme coordinator at the then Muslim Aid UK field office in The Gambia, Kanifing said a criteria was used to select the lucky needy families for the gesture. According him, some of them are single headed house heads, retired husbands from public works who while others are orphans leaving with their parents.

“We prepared identification cards to identify needy people especial the baggers around Westfield area most of whom were women, and the beneficiaries were both Gambians and none Gambians. I can assure you that all those who benefited from the initiative are people who actual deserved to get and they are located within the communities of Bakau Kachikally, Bakau New Town and Serekunda Westfield,” he said.

According to him the relationship between the then Muslim Aid The Gambia office and Gambians Association in Crawley UK through their representative in the country Mr. Foday Drammeh is based on mutual consent. He described the man as a very trustworthy, straight forward and honest person in all what he is for the association back home. He also commended him for the pivotal role he plays for the association as a former executive member currently in the country.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Kebba Manneh of Bakau Kachikally thank the association for their kind gesture adding that the donated items came at the right time for the beneficiary families especial himself. “When the bag of rice was coming to my house, then there was nothing for me and my family to eat that day, I was thinking of where to get rice from, thanks to the intervention of Gambians Association in Crawley Town, I had something to eat that month,” Kebba Manneh said.

He urges the association to continued doing rendering their supports to the needy families in the country. “I never had any information about this association until when I got benefited from them, something that comes to me as a surprise. The Gambians outside the country should continue helping us the poor, we all know how hard feeding a family is nowadays especial with poor people like us” Manneh conclude.