Braintree and Witham Times, Thursday, November 17, 1994

Firm's gift aids work in Gambia

by

EVE SWEETING

A WITHAM-BASED freight company has donated £700 of electronic scales to The Gambia for use in tuberculosis clinics.

And the scales have been presented to the coordinator of the TB programme / The Gambia by Bakery Jobarteh, who studied at Witham Technology Centre where he gained computer qualifications.

Managing director of haulage firm Continental Thomas Boers at East-ways, Witham, Simon Wezel, says he contacted the company HQ in Holland and suggested that instead or sending out calendars this Christmas the company should instead donate vital equipment to The Gambia.

His idea was acted upon and last week Mr Jobarteh was pictured in The Gambian national newspaper The Daily Observer,handing over the scales to Dr.Virginea Bouchier.

"1 am very proud of him," said Mr Wezel.

Mr Wezel met Mr Jobarteh while on holiday in The Gambia about ten years ago and met Mr Jobarteh and his family.

He later managed to get him a job at Action Aid.Mr Jobarteh stayed with Mr Wezel for six months and achieved nine London and City and Guilds exam successes in computing.

He has since married and his wife is expecting their second child. Mr Wezel helped him build his home in The Gambia and stays there when he visits the country.

A lot of Witham people will remember him and be interested to hear how he is getting on," said Mr Wezel.

The scales are badly needed in the fight against TB in The Gambia and the it scales donated by the company will help doctors do their job effectively. The number of TB patients range from between 900 and 1,000 annually.

The TB programme started in The Gambia in 1984 in collaboration with the Leprosy programme