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Originally proposed as a project in the year 2009 the Foundation Humanitarian Aid Gambia is happy to announce the official launch of The Gambia Orphan project BAC Area at April 13th 2010. In the Kombo Central District of the Western Region the project was launched during a press-conference organised by the Chairman of the Brikama Area Council, Sunkary Badjie.
Sunkary Badjie, a member of the Foundation Humanitarian Aid Gambia Board, is the responsible Board member for this unique project. In cooperation with the villages and communities in the Brikama Area families are selected who want to raise orphans in a loving and caring surrounding. These families will be financially supported by the FHAG and will be monitored during the stay of the orphans. The main goal of this project is to provide orphans care and education in their own surroundings which in itself is a unique way of providing care and shelter instead of bringing the orphans to isolated camps. In this way the orphan will grow up in its own community, thus not getting isolated from the place and village of birth. This project would never have been possible without the financial support of various teams of "The Amsterdam-Dakar Challenge 2009/2010". 
For the original article in the Observer, please click HERE. We thank the governor western region MR Lamin Sanneh, the chiefs representative, respective ward councilors and other steak holders in the region for their valued presence and support.
For pictures of the pressconference, please click HERE 
The following speech was delivered by Seedy Jarju, Project Manager of the FHAG: The orphan project launching 13 April 2010.
Mr. Chairman BAC, the Governor Western Region, District chiefs here present, ward councilors, the board of FHAG, distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen:
In my position of Project Manager of FHAG, I thank you very much on behalf of FHAG, for attending the official launching of the orphan program in Western Region. Mr. Chairman, if time will allow me I would like to give a brief short history of this small but big foundation: the Foundation Humanitarian Aid Gambia, established in 1995.
This foundation has complimented governments’ efforts in the areas of agriculture, health, and education to name a few.
FHAG has established:
- vegetable gardens in Bakadagi, Nafugan and Kanubeh in URR,
- build a health centre, provide a nurse and the drugs in the Bakadagi St. Vitus clinic and presently we are building the new staff quarters there.
- assisting two lower basic schools in Bakadagi and Nafugan by contributing to the feeding program,
- building standard staff quarters at the Nafugan Basic School
- providing uniforms for the children and other school materials to these schools
- and this Foundation is assisting Somita health centre Western Region with drugs.
Mr. Chairman I think all of us here will appreciate the services this foundation is rendering to the country.
Mr. Chairman today we are here to officially launch a long awaited program in this Region known as the sample of excellence Region through the dynamic leadership of the able governor, a determined son of this Region Mr. Lamin Sanneh together with you Mr. Chairman.
The program we are here to launch is the orphan program. Mr. Chairman, we all know that orphans are people who deserve special attention, this concept is excepted by our religion, and it is culturally excepted. We find orphans in all our family setups and we have different methods in caring them.
Mr. Chairman, this foundation has been looking into this felt need issue for a long time trying to find solutions that will best suit the interest of the orphan. We have centers that are boarding the orphans, giving them all facilities but are lacking fundamental factors, the parental love, caring and education.
Mr. Chairman, FHAG has understood these factors, as very important factors that may retard the development of the orphan, and is now recommending assisting the orphans presently with their foster parents in their respective homes so they grow up in a family in the village. Mr. Chairman we now come to the question: Who is this orphan?
The foundation is targeting the orphan who is given the caring of a real son or daughter by the foster parents. In a way you can say that we are awarding the foster parent for the special care to the orphan, so the orphan feels welcome and loved, that the orphan is treated equally and is feeling at home.
The foundation has come up with a child profile form which will really address these qualifications.
Mr. Chairman we come to the services the foundation is giving to this qualified orphans. The foundation will pay his / her schooling to secondary level, will pay his/ her medical bills and will help the foster parent with the orphans clothing towards both Christmas and Tobaski.
Mr. Chairman before I conclude, I would like to appeal to all the benefiting foster parents to respect the regulations of this foundation for sustenance and emulation for its starting small but will grow big in the future as FHAG always say.
Hence this program has been launched here in Western Region, I know it will benefit the entire nation. I thank you all for you attention.
Seedy Jarju
Project Manager
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