Sickle Cell Association Banjul Chapter in London Corner Serekunda, on Saturday organised a symposium on sickle cell disease at St Thereses Junior Secondary School ground, in Kanifing.

Speaking at the symposium, Lamin Demba, Secretary general of the association, said the symposium was meant to create awareness for school children as well as the Gambian community at large ,about the disease. He outlined the formation of the association with its primary objectives ,such as Case management of genetic counselling among others.  

He then observed that through sensitisation, there can be a world, free of health,economic and social disparities cause by sickle cell disease.

Lamin Jaiteh, a Doctor at RVTH highlighted on the effects of the disease, noting that sickle cell is a blood disease ,which affects the red bloodcell. “Since 80% of the oxygen in the body is carried by red blood cells, sickle cell disease can lead to theblockage of blood transportation to the bones and capillaries, which can eventually cause stroke” he said.

According to him, the sickle cell disease was discovered by a school boy in USA and was described as a genetic disease, meaning, it could be inherited from parents. “In 1970, it was confirmed as a result of deprivation of oxygen” he said .The damage of the red blood cells can cause anaemia and  lead to kidney failure,he continued.  

To pregnant women, Mr.Jaiteh said ,the disease can cause miss-carry and lead to pre-mature born.

In a bid to respond to emergencies, the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority GCAA on Thursday organised a sensitisation training, meant to equip stakeholders on emergency responses, at a ceremony held at the Old Terminal building, at the Gambia International Airport.

The objective of the training was to create a platform for networking for effective rescue operations in instances of emergencies that may require evacuation and medical attention. It also seeks to prevent unauthorised interference during operations and ensure minimum loss of life and property.

The sensitisation, which was organised in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), came at a time when efforts were being mounted for a full-scale emergency exercise.

Briefing the gathering, Nfansu Bojang, the director general of the GCAA, said it was the responsibility of his authority to ensure a safe day-to-day operation of aircrafts and all related aviation activities at the airport and its environs, by implementing standards, in accordance with the convention of ICAO.

He added that the provisions in ICAO Annex 14 volume 1 Convention indicated that “Airport Operation and Design” requires states to establish in every airport an Airport Emergency Plan (AEP). He informed the gathering that the AEP included a set of instructions and procedures to ensure prompt co-ordinated response of different airport services agencies and other agencies in the surrounding community that could assist in emergency situations.  

According to him, once the plan had been developed and promulgated, it should be tested for effective implementation, adding that this would enable the authority to address major problems in the area of command, communication and co-ordination between the responding agencies.

In conclusion, Mr Bojang said that for the past few months, a team had been working vigorously in collaboration with the airport agencies and others to raise awareness on this plans.

Other speaker at the event included Katrine Nying, the director of Airport Operations, William wright, the emergency preparedness coordinator, who spoke at length on the significance of emergency response and other related issues.

Access Bank, Gambia Ltd, in collaboration with intouch, a major IT service provider in the country, on Tuesday presented a savings account, with an opening balance of D5000 each, to ten lucky winners, at a presentation ceremony held at the GRTS building on MDI road, kanifing.

According to Muhamed El Kabir Fye of the corporate affairs at Access Bank Gambia ltd, this is not the first time they are doing this. The process, he said, started three months back.

‘‘This is aimed at creating awareness of Access Bank savings account among the public." Mr Fye noted that his bank sponsors an airtime, where they deliberate on the procedure, which he said was quite simple. "You just have to dial 1600 to Access Bank through your Gamcel line and have a chance to win", he concluded.

A two-day workshop on training and launching was recently held at the Girl Guides institute in Kanifing. Over thirty participants attended the session, which was addressed by a number of speakers.

In her welcoming remarks, the Programme Officer of Culture and Communications, on behalf of the Secretary General of the National Commission for ISESCO (Islamic Societies Engaged on Societies for Cultural Organisation), Ms Mamuna Sibideh addressed the aims and objectives of the workshop. Among these she named sharing and learning from each other on the mandate and concept of ISESCO.

She emphasised the aim of linking religious leaders, civil society and youth organizations in The Gambia in order to acquire perspectives on ISESCO.

The Programme Officer stressed the significance of the workshop in highlighting the work of ISESCO and also raises public awareness of that work. According to Ms Sibideh, the National commission serves as a platform for articulating the needs through consultations for the design and implementation of activities, coordination and implementation of ISESCO’s programmes and activities, the facilitation of fund-raising and networking to ensure visibility and impact of programme activities.

She further revealed that ISESCO’s activities and programmes are responding to the needs expressed by member states. She added that needs have been identified through consultations on the ground in member states.

She went on to say that the clubs are particularly encouraged to take responsibility for gaining knowledge about ISESCO’s mission, functions and strategic areas as well as the house the organisation operates. They serve as branches to reach the unreachable and assist in implementing our programmes and projects, she said.

For his part, Imam Baba Leigh of Kanifing Estate said that ISESCO provided scholarships for many Gambians and has links with many international organisations. Imam Baba Leigh added that it is important to recognise all cultures. According to him, we have different cultures but that a moral culture is best.