The Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America made another emergency food distribution in the Cagna, Nfaidi, Unchor and Mpass villages in Encheia, as well as in Fanhe. This follows the first distribution in Tchomon Village and the second distribution in Tande, Sintcham and Samodje villages near Ingore.
WATCH THE TGB Televisão da Guiné-Bissau COVERAGE OF THE DISTRIBUTION
Below is the Bam’Faba distribution report.
1. Introduction
In mid-December 2019, a disease called sars/cov/19 was diagnosed in China and which was later declared by the WHO as a pandemic due to its rapid spread and the number of fatalities it caused worldwide.
In Guinea-Bissau, the first cases were recorded at the beginning of the month of March, which led to the adoption of restriction measures, namely the decree of the emergency and state by the national authorities, i.e. by his Excellency, the president of the republic as a way to prevent the rapid spread of the disease at national level.
However, the enactment of the state of emergency has put the country in a situation of serious financial crisis whose effects affect all families, especially the most vulnerable residents in the villages. Yes, it limited the circulation and access to the market for the sale of its products, as well as the total stoppage of the commercialization of the cashew campaign.
As a result, a financial sum was made available by members of the Bam-Faba Association residing in the diaspora to support families, especially the most deprived, in this period of confinement.
2. Activities carried out
Food products have been distributed in some tabancas, considered priority areas of intervention of the association, namely:
a) Visit and distribution in the tabanca of Cagha
Cagha is a tabanca located in the Sector of Bissora section of Encheia, in which there was an accident that killed 24 people because of the explosion of a mine supposedly places since colonial times. Because of this suffering we understand will deliver 6 bags of rice to the popular village neighbor workking for his melioria.
b) Visit and distribution in the tabanca of Nfaidi
We delivered 6 bags of rice to the young people of the tabanca of Nfaidi, on the occasion of the voluntary work to clean the road that accessed Encheia. It was a section that is impassable, but thanks to the awareness and work of young people has improved a lot.
c) Visit and distribution in Uncor and Mpass
These two villages were visited by the gender distribution team on the occasion of the voluntary twig lifting and dikes in the bolanhas belonging to the two tabancas.
Therefore, 20 bags of rice were delivered with a view to accelerating and completing the work.
It should be remembered that these two tabancas were disengaged due to the conflict between the parties and that it had culminated in a brawl, in which there were many wounded, especially the younger people.
d) Visit and distribution of foodstuffs in Fanhe tabanca
In Fanhe, there was also a voluntary work to close dams and therefore received 20 bags of rice for this purpose.
3. Conclusion
The work of visits and distribution of the donations to different villages went very well, however we faced a slight delay due to the breakdown of the vehicle carrying the donations. We also found many difficulties in accessing tabancas due to the degradation of access roads, because in this rainy period most roads are almost impassable.
In all the tabancas in which we distributed people not only thanked them for the gesture, but also took the opportunity to present other difficulties, namely, lack of access routes in this case roads, schools, health centers, difficulty in sealing fields of vegetable cultivation, lack of rice and corn peeling machines, in order to relieve the workload on girls and thereby encourage the participation of girls in schools. There is also difficulty in accessing water for pastoral activity because animals, especially cows, cannot get water because the area has only salt water in the surroundings, thus not allowing the animals to be satisfied.
It is noteworthy that the work has not yet finished, so we will continue the work according to the plan previously outlined, especially for the southern part of the country.
We also find that there is a lack of awareness of the coronavirus pandemic with the tabancas or a majority only listen on the radios but without detailed information on the subject. That is why most don't wear protective masks.
All views were accompanied by an artist with songs in the Balanta ethnic group in order to facilitate awareness of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the travel plan was planned visit the bolanhas but due to the time factor it was not possible to make all these visits staying for other opportunities.
4. Thanks
In all the tabancas we have passed during the distribution of the genres have left a strong thanks to the members of the entourage as well as the funders of this initiative, leaving the hope that there will be more initiatives of this kind, and that all continue to be in good health and happiness with their families.
Rélatorio made by Robana Nhaté, coordinator of "Bam-Faba" in the région of Oio, Républica da Guine issau.
Filled, June 25, 2020 -Robana Nhaté- Coordin