Bollore Freetown Terminal last week donated school materials worth a little over Le150 million to 1,350 school-going kids at Moa Wharf and Sea Side communities respectively.
Gassimu S. Fofana, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bollore said the donation is part of the company’s yearly corporate social responsibility and a way of complementing government’s free quality education project.
He explained that the donation package contained school bags and other school materials that would help reduce the burden on parents in the two communities.
“We see this now as a mandate to help the communities where we operate. Every year we ask the communities to send us names of school going children that we vet before making the donation,” he disclosed.
Lamin Koroma, Chairman of Seaside community, said the community had not been receiving the kind of support it is now receiving from Bollore, stating that “this is the third time we are receiving such gesture from the company and we are grateful for that.”
He added: “This scholarship cuts across the community. Last year 208 pupils benefited from the program. But this year the number was increased to 625…we are going to make sure the beneficiaries use the items for the rightful purpose.”
Apart from the donated school materials, Lamin furthered that the company had helped them with a water facility, a police post, employment, university scholarships, fishing boat, and is on the verge of completing a ‘cold room’ (refrigerated storage) for them.
Moa Wharf community Chairman Abubakarr Barrie said the community’s package was for 726 primary and secondary students, calling the support a timely one that would help reduce the burden on those who cannot afford the materials.
“And we thank Bollore for that,” he added.
Barrie said they have a monitoring committee that would make sure that the beneficiaries take great care of the donated materials.
By abdulrahman.koroma@awokonewspaper.sl