Bassa Belt gives back to kinsmen

The Bassa Belt Association has begun an initial step in providing relief to citizens and residents of Grand Bassa County in a humanitarian mission that began over the weekend  in Compound One and ended in the port city of Buchanan, amidst cheers and a deep sense of appreciation from the beneficiaries.

The exercise was led by three eminent personalities of the county  – Levi Demmah, T. Nelson Williams and Ms Lynch George-Cassell.

They were eventually joined by all five political representatives and or their proxies and the Senior Senator of the county, Gbehzongar Milton Findley as the Junior Senator who heads the Bassa Legislative Caucus, sent her representative due to travel engagement.

With a new message contained in a newly produced anti-Ebola song, all five electoral districts in Grand Bassa County were touched with the distribution of assorted food items and drugs, involving the county’s first Ebola humanitarian mission that comprised of members of the county’s legislative caucus.

Making remark at the program, Mr. Demmah said, “As citizens of Bassa, under the banner Bassa Belt we have come together to fight Ebola. We believe that in all times, whether in good or bad times, we must mobilize ourselves to help our people.”

According to him, the group has no political motive as it is solely dedicated to helping the people of Grand Bassa County, while the Government contemplates on bigger issues. Mr. Demmah said the organization will focus on assisting clinics and people that are at the various hospitals by giving them food stuffs and drugs to strengthen them.

“We now know that not only people are being turned away from some hospitals and that drugs are insufficient in some of the clinics in the various districts”, he note. Speaking of contributors, he noted that sons and daughters of Grand Bassa County from all walks of life contributed to the initial steps and have committed to doing more.

Following distributions at various points for Electoral Districts One and Two received by their respective representatives in the persons of Hon. Hans Barchue and a proxy for Hon. Mary Karwah. The convoy proceeded to  the port city of Buchanan where Electoral Districts Three, Four and Five were represented by their respective representatives, namely Byron Brown, Robertson Siaway and Gabriel Smith.

Senate President Pro-Temp Gbezohngar Findley and other leaders of the county  hailed the group’s initiatives and cautioned the citizens of Bassa to abide by the new message of ‘accepting no stranger and visitor’ and ‘early reporting at treatment centers’ to enhance chances of survival.

Hon. T Nelson Williams termed as a good initiative the move by the group to provide services and medical supplies to the people of Grand Bassa County. He expressed confidence that the initiative will serve as a unifier: “That’s our prayer, that’s our hope and we will do everything possible to ensure that we have longevity so we can all work together in the interest of our country and county.”

He continued, “I think now than ever before, the people of Bassa will like to see a unified Caucus. So we have come with one voice to say that Ebola must be dismissed and eradicated from our county and from our country.”

For her part, Superintendent Etiwanda Cooper, on behalf of the county’s administrative leadership, thanked the group for its initiatives for coming together to “add in the fight against Ebola” and for “setting examples which is important to see that each of us is active in fighting Ebola”.

The Superintendent said, “I will also add don’t just accept strangers but also don’t go and be strangers to somebody else’s because many of us have gone and collected Ebola and brought it to Grand Bassa County”. She stressed the need for continuity in the fight despite the decrease in Ebola suspected, probable and confirmed cases. Superintendent Cooper hoped for an Ebola-free Christmas holiday.  

A Sundaygar Dearboy song made in the Bassa dialect preaching messages of early reporting which encouraged his kinsmen to call 4455 and accept no strangers or visitors was also presented to the county leadership for wide dissemination to  various community radio stations in the county.