By: Nyima Sillah
The Vice President of The Gambia, Dr. Isatou Touray, has extolled the Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) for excellent work done in their response to Covid-19 pandemic and other disasters.
VP Touray made this remarks during the opening of the General Assembly of the Sahel Plus Group hosted by the Gambia Red Cross Society at Coco Ocean last week.
She said the GRSC is instrumental in supporting the government’s development efforts through various partnerships with the UN system in The Gambia. Also, the Gambia Red Cross Society has mobilized its volunteers across the country, raised resources both locally and internationally to complement government efforts.
It is also commendable to see how GRCS was also able to support the Government in its quest to enable business continuity during the past difficult pandemic, she said.
However, she added: “Our government has provided the enabling environment for GRCS to function and undertake its humanitarian and development activities based on the fundamental principles of the Red Cross. For us, GRCS has been a credible partner with committed leadership.”
Meanwhile, she said the meeting would review activities of the National Societies, including achievements, challenges, and discuss how Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies could continue to complement and support government through their auxiliary roles in dealing with existing and emerging humanitarian and development challenges.
Jato Sillah, President GRCS, said Covid-19 restrictions forced more than a million children out of school in the Sahel region, prolonged schools’ closure, and deprived children the opportunity to create a better future for them and as well increased their risk of abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation.
He pointed out that the reality for many in the African Sahel region are either food deficiency and malnutrition, poverty, armed conflicts, dramatic climate change, or livelihood opportunities, which he said are all compounded by the vanishing hope of a future of a million young people.
Members of the group included Presidents and Secretary Generals (SGs) of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of Chad, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, and The Gambia were in attendance.