By Saio Marrah
The South Korean Red Cross Society has donated five vehicles to the Maada and Fatima Bio Foundation to facilitate the work of the hands-off our girls’ campaign – a campaign coordinated by the First Lady with a focus on the growth and development girls.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz Vehicles were handed over by the South Korea’s newly appointed Honorary Consul in Sierra Leone, Mahesh C. Nandwani to First Lady, Fatima Bio, at her office in Freetown on Thursday 8th December, 2022.
Nandwani said the donation follows a long-running request made the First lady through the then South Korean Ambassador based in Accra, Ghana. He said the vehicles will be used to transport sanitary pads and others items to the remote villages in Sierra Leone. The Consul said the vehicles were approved in 2020, but could not be delivered because of challenges that include the outbreak of the COVID19.
He said the donation was made possible because the government of the Republic of Korea recognises and appreciates the good work of the hands off our girls’ campaign initiated by the office of the first lady across the country. He also mentioned the first lady’s recent historic address at the UN General Assembly for the world-wide annual recognition of the need for the prevention of child sexual exploitation, noting that the call refocused attention on the need for global partnership on the importance of protecting all women and girls.
Nandwani said his office will embark on working and engaging government institutions, social and civic groups, educational institutions and other private sector representatives to identify areas that will be supported by the Republic of Korea.
First Lady, Fatima Bio, thanked the Korean Red Cross for the donation saying when they started the sanitary pad distribution, it was the foundation that started the fundraising and bought all the sanitary pads that were distributed.
She also noted that there were lots of challenges not just with the foundation but with the office of the first lady as well. She said it was based on those challenges they approached the South Korean Red Cross Foundation to provide help with logistics that include minibus.
While making reference to the vehicle donation, she said “they have given the life that the foundation needs and now the foundation will be able to do their work.” She added: “Everything we do with the foundation we do it silently so that the foundation does not overshadow the office of the first lady.” She also pointed out how Nandwani had been providing support to the hands off our girls’ campaign through his company in Sierra Leone.
Fatima Bio singled out the “National Food Basket” project which she said was immensely supported by the now new Consul. The first lady went on to mention series of projects like the Ramadan donations, the COVID 19 support among others which she said Nandwani had supported.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online
