By Foday Moriba Conteh
As support to vulnerable people, especially women living with disabilities across the country, Orange Foundation Sierra Leone, on Friday 16th April, 2021, handed over assorted food items worth millions of Leones to the Disability Rights Movement for women with disabilities in the four districts of the country. The handing-over ceremony took place at the Ministry of Social Welfare conference room, New England Ville in Freetown.
The donated items include: 100 (50kg) bags of rice, 100 cartoons of tin tomato, 95 (20 liters) gallon of cooking oil, 100 bags of onions, 100 bags of sugar, and 100 bags of medicated soap. These are to be distributed to women living with disabilities in Freetown, Bonthe, Bo and Port Loko
In her statement, the Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama, applauded Orange Foundation Sierra Leone for the donation, adding that it will help support women living with disabilities in the country. She assured that her Ministry will work with Disability Rights Movement to distribute the items meant for vulnerable women living with disabilities in the four selected districts.
She went on to say that her ministry is established to serve as the voice of the needy and vulnerable people across the country, adding that people living with disabilities should not be considered as a liability to society, but rather they should be given the care they deserve because they are the backbone of any peaceful society.
Baindu Dassama said her ministry cares for all, especially people living with disabilities, and called on all to see people living with disabilities as very important people in society who should be given the care and attention they deserve.
She applauded Disability Rights Movement for being transparent in their activities, adding that other organizations are receiving huge amounts of money in the name of giving support to vulnerable people in the country, but which is actuality not reaching the beneficiaries.
Handing over the food items to the Disability Rights Movement, the Director of Orange Foundation Sierra Leone, Jestina Betts, said Orange Foundation is very happy to hand over the assorted food items to Disability Rights Movement to support women living with disabilities, adding that as a company they want to be touching their lives and making sure they continue to support them during difficult periods.
She added that during this pandemic they were faced with requests from DRIM for support, and it was granted based on the fact that their situation is a call for concern.
Jestina Betts pointed out that they have been working with the community for some time now on different projects and platforms, adding that the donation to DRIM is to support women who are Physically Challenged, furthering that they will also be supporting the Deaf & Dumb, Blind School and the Autism Community with food items in the coming days.
The Director stated that the donation is evidence that they do not take their Corporate Social Responsible lightly, which is pivotal to their business as a Telecoms Company. She further revealed that they have been supporting different vulnerable groups, partnering with different Organizations, Corporate Institutions and Government MDAs, adding that in 2015, they collaborated with the Ministry of Social Welfare in supporting 50 Ebola Orphans that were taken to the SOS Villages for care in Freetown, Makeni and Bo, furthering that the Foundation and SOS are jointly financing the welfare of the kids until they turn 18 years, which includes Resident, Lodging, Feeding, Clothing, Medical, & Schooling.
Executive Director of Disability Right Movement (DRIM), Dr. Vandi Konneh, expressed appreciation to Orange Foundation for the kind gesture, which he described as not only important, but very timely to support women living with disabilities.
He assured Orange Foundation that the donated items will be distributed to women living with disabilities in Bo, Freetown, Bonthe and Portloko.
He maintained that such gesture by the Foundation shows their commitment towards supporting women living with disabilities in the country.
Mabinty Kamara, a beneficiary, expressed her appreciation to Orange Foundation for donating the assorted food items to DRIM in order to support them as women living with disabilities in the country.
She noted that such donation to them is not only important, but a very timely intervention in sustaining the livelihood of these women within the four targeted districts.
She assured all that they will use the donated food items in order to support their families.
