13th August 2020 | 23rd Dhul Hijjah 1441
As the world deals with the reality of the Covid-19 coronavirus, many of those countries are on a prolonged lockdown for the safety and security of their population and economy. The Gambia where the SPOT PROJECT operates has been on lockdown since March 2020 and as of this month, the Gambian government has announced an extension to the lock down until 27th August 2020. Furthermore, due to the state of emergency, the Gambian government has further placed the country on lockdown indefinitely. Some of the restrictions enforced in addition to the extension of the lockdown are as follows:
As a result of these restrictions, we at the SPOT PROJECT have faced and are continuously facing many challenges. The new regulations and lockdown have and continue to have an adverse effect on the work we carry out in The Gambia.
The majority of our projects have been heavily affected, particularly the SPOT Academy, the borehole project and our zakat distribution programme. Below is an overview of the projects affected and our plan moving forward:
Borehole Construction – all borehole projects have been currently placed on hold for the next three weeks. We will assess the situation after this period and see if we can carry on with construction and installations.
Zakat distribution – all Zakat distribution will continue as normal, we are pushing ahead even with the restrictions due to the further difficulties people are facing.
Emergency Housing Campaign – work on the Emergency house Campaign (EMC) is slow but Alhamdulillah proceeding. Due to the increased restrictions, contractors are unable to travel freely to both purchase equipment and find vendors who are selling equipment. We are hopeful that even with the restrictions, we will complete the EMC by the end of October 2020, Insha’Allah.
Girls’ School Construction – phase 1 of the construction was due to start in September 2020 but due to the extended lockdown and new restrictions this start date has been moved back. We have marked in a new start date for the beginning of November 2020, with an aim of starting sooner if the restrictions ease, Insha’Allah.
Orphan Sponsor Programme – Alhamdulillah the Orphan Sponsorship Programme is currently active, however, liaising with sponsors and providing regular updates has been difficult due to the increased lockdown restrictions. Please bear with us while we navigate through these difficult times, we aim to release further information as soon as we acquire updates. For those interested in the Orphan Sponsorship Programme, information will be made available on our website in the coming fortnight.
As is evident from the details above we are planning and working to make the most of the present situation in The Gambia. Your support and patience is greatly appreciated and gives us the drive to make sure we deliver as much as possible to the needy people of The Gambia. We thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support in these difficult times and we pray that Allah (swt) blesses you and your family for your continued support and patience.
The safety and wellbeing of children and staff at the SPOT Academy, and that of the communities we serve is of the utmost priority, we hope to continue to be an agent for change in every way possible as we navigate this new normal.
We will Insha’Allah keep you informed as we learn more and as conditions change.
Please see: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/coronavirus-the-gambia for more extensive information on The Gambia’s current restrictions.