The newly registered charity, Breakfast For Sick People which was officially launched in December of last year is to commence providing free breakfast to the sick at Njaba Kunda Health Centre in The Gambia. The charity, founded by Buba Barrow, supported and run by Tijani Bojang, Bunama Jatta, Yahya Samori Touray among others has been providing breakfast to patients at Gunjur Health Centre since the inception of the project in April of last year. From the commencement of providing free breakfast to the sick at the health centre in April 2018, to the official launch of the project on Saturday 22nd December 2018, Breakfast for the sick has served free breakfast to 650 patients according the data provided by the Nurse in charge at Gunjur Health Centre. This is significant as it has had a very positive impact in the recovery process and well-being of the patients admitted at the health facility.
According to the Chairman, the free breakfast project at Gunjur has been a resounding success due to the support they have received from individuals and organisations who are inspired by the program. Organisations like the Gunjur Development Association (GDA) have directly supported our feeding activities at the Gunjur Health Centre as well as YaFatou Jobe who takes care of the provision of bread everyday for the breakfast. Other individuals who remain anonymous have supported us financially to ensure that we continue to provide free breakfast to the sick at the only referral health centre in the catchment area. According to the Chairman, this has given them the opportunity to start another free breakfast project for the sick at Njaba Kunda Health Centre. Commenting on replicating the free breakfast project to Njaba Kunda Health Centre, Breakfast for the Sick had this to say: “Breakfast for the sick will open their phase two in Njaba kunda very soon. Everything is set. We thank you all for support in moving this worthy project forward. We thank Honourable KK Barrow for fulfilling his promise by donating us every month. As the saying goes (Do not ask what your country can do for you , ask what you can do for your country)”
Reacting to the free breakfast program at Gunjur Health Centre, Haddy Fadera, Officer In-Charge of Gunjur Minor Health Centre revealed:“The Centre is a catchment of more than fifty (50) thousand population for Gunjur and its satellite villages. The Centre admits patients only on short term probation ranging from 6 to 36 hours and most of them come from very far villages that have no relatives residing in Gunjur. This posed challenges on us in providing quality service delivery as Government does not provide meals to the Minor Health Centre. Of course every Nurse and medical Doctor knows that treatments cannot be effective without food as it serves as a supplementary medicine.
Thus, the advent of the Organisation for the “Breakfast for the Sick people” initiative at Gunjur Minor Heath Centre is in the right direction that does not only relief burden on us but also make our work much easier in delivering effective services to the patients. Providing breakfast has significantly contributed in patients responding to their treatments. Therefore, the entire staffs of Gunjur Minor Health Centre are very grateful and appreciative to this Organisation. Thank you all!”.
According to the charity, the objective of “Breakfast for Sick People Charitable Organisation Initiative” is to supplement Government efforts to assist in providing breakfast to the poor communities in the Gambia who are temporally admitted at the Health Care facility Centres responding to the treatment. This includes post-natal patients who are put under observations for few hours after the treatment and before being discharged. The idea was culminated in cognisant that Minor Health Care Centres are not provided with provision of breakfast by the Government.
This is effectively what inspired the founders who recognised the need and requirement to bridge this gap as patients cannot respond to proper and effective treatment without basic food availability. The initiative is purely a charitable and voluntary organisation that has no interest profiting making. In view of this, the Initiative is the starting by confining their intervention at Gunjur Health Care Facility Centres and plans are underway to expand it to other places around the country.
”Our goal is to provide free breakfast for the sick at every minor health centre in The Gambia that does not benefit from a government funded feeding program. We started in Gunjur and are now going to Najaba Kunda to ensure that both urban and rural Gambia benefits from this program”, concluded Mr Barrow who founded the charity and serve as Chairman.
Breakfast For The Sick People (Gambia) also support the health facilities with other medical items in addition to providing free breakfast to those admitted at the health centre in Gunjur. In January this year, High Blood pressure and Diabetes testing machine was presented to Gunjur Health Centre on behalf of Breakfast for the Sick. It is registered in The Gambia with charity registration number 2018/C7749.