By Foday Moriba Conteh
In their quest to support the less privileged in society, especially the mentally challenged, Dalvina Children’s Foundation, a Charitable and a Non-profit making local organization started on Sunday 3rd May and ended on Tuesday 5th May, 2020 to share food and non-food items to these unfortunate persons within the Freetown Municipality in order to support them during the three days lockdown that was declared by the Government in order to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus in the country.
Speaking to this Press, Executive Director of Dalvina Children’s Foundation, Khadijatu Dalvina Bangura, disclosed that considering the fact that many homes in Sierra Leone still find it difficult to access food and water on a daily basis, added to the fact that the lockdown requires individuals to stay home for a complete duration of three days, as an organization, they thought it appropriate to step up their usual charity work by teaming up with Social Workers in Freetown to provide food and non-food items to the mentally challenged and less privileged Sierra Leoneans within the Municipality of Freetown.
She noted that the distribution was geared towards complementing the efforts of Government in its strides towards scaling up the fight against the virus maintaining how it is one way of doing so that the common enemy could be defeated, adding that it is also a clear manifestation that as an organization they care for Sierra Leoneans and they are determined to stand by the side of the people of this country during good and bad times.
The Executive Director explained to the beneficiaries and others present, during the distribution exercise, the various measures that should be taken to prevent contracting the disease, which include: frequent hand washing, avoid body contacts, avoid hand shaking, using face masks etc. She also admonished them that in the event of experiencing persistent coughing, uncommon fever, extreme fatigue and difficulty in breathing, residents should call 117 for emergency response.
She admonished them to adhere to all the precautionary measures that the Government and its partners have put in place; also underscoring that it is only when strict adherence is maintained that we all could stay safe.
Mariama Kallon, a beneficiary expressed gratitude to Dalvina Children’s Foundation for the gesture which she described as not only important to them but very timely adding that some of them only live by begging arms from people and that during the period of lockdown they are finding it difficult to survive. She urged citizens to adhere to the coronavirus messages in order to combat the spread of the virus in the country so that they can live normal lives.
