Inspired By SLAJ:
It all started on the first day of the recent national three-day lockdown authorized by the Government of Sierra Leone to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country, when AYV TV reporter Ransford Metzger interviewed the Chief of Kroo Bay live from the community. The Chief lamented that the community lacked hand washing buckets and food.
The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, was at the AYV TV studios being interviewed by Amadu Lamrana Bah when Ransford’s report came in.
Nasralla was touched by the cry of the Kroo Bay Chief, and so after his interview he swiftly moved to the community with his Secretary General, Mohamed Asmieu Bah, and donated 15 veronica buckets and bowls through the Chief and the Councilor and appealed to well-meaning individuals and organisations to come to the aid of Kroo Bay and other deprived and vulnerable communities in the country.
Meanwhile, the Chairman Pikin Bizness, Adonis Abboud- who is out of the country- saw the news on AYV TV and on the SLAJ Facebook page and was also inspired. He immediately contacted the SLAJ President and kindly requested him to make a donation of 50 bags of rice on behalf of Pikin Bizness to the Kroo Bay community, specifically for the children. The SLAJ President obliged, but advised that the donation be split into two so that another deprived community called Susan’s Bay would benefit.
On Wednesday 15th April, 2020 the 50 bags of rice were delivered to both communities (25 bags each) through the coordination of the journalist, Ransford.
Presenting the donation on behalf of Pikin Bizness, the SLAJ President reminded the Chiefs about their responsibility to ensure their people obey the measures the Government has put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their communities and the country as a whole.
Receiving the donation, the Chief of Kroo Bay, Pa Alimamy Kamara, said Mr. Adonis Abboud is no stranger to them as the Pikin Bizness Chairman has always supported the community in various ways. He thanked Mr. Abboud for his continued kind gestures to the community and hailed SLAJ and the AYV Journalist for showing the spotlight on Kroo Bay.
Similarly, the Chief of Susan’s Bay Pa Alimamy Kamara II expressed gratitude to Mr. Abboud, SLAJ and the journalist and assured that the donation would be shared fairly to the intended beneficiaries.
“May God bless you all for this donation,” said Chief Alimamy Kamara II. “In relation to our compliance with Coronavirus preventive measures, we are doing our best to ensure our people practice the basic hygiene measures at all times. The only challenge we have is in the aspect of social distancing, which is difficult to comply with giving the nature of our community. But our people are very cooperative.”
The Chairman of Pikin Bizness said this is a period when Sierra Leone needs everybody to play their part, no matter how small.
“The ripple effects of COVID-19 across the world is enormous, so we must all play our part to not only help fight against the disease but also help to cushion the impact it is having on vulnerable communities like Kroo Bay and Susan’s Bay. Our donation is a humble one but if we all give little and little of what we can afford we can make a huge difference in the lives of those who don’t have the ways and means,” said Abboud.
Pikin Bisness is a non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting children with various heart conditions get advance medical help abroad.
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