Our food distribution on May 17th in the Balanta village of Tchokmon, in Guinea Bissau, was successful. This was our second contribution of emergency food aid to the people of Guinea Bissau in the past few weeks.

They are calling us "the children of Tchokmon" All of this started with the work of brother Richard Curtiss II. After getting his African Ancestry results, he went to Tchokman village in Guinea Bissau in 2014. They gave him the name Ngadesa Tchokman. He prophesied to them that we (Balanta people from the United States) would be returning. Since then, several of our members have returned, including four of us in 2020. The country of Guinea Bissau was preparing for our first large group tour scheduled for May 30th when the COVID-19 pandemic escalated. During my visit in January, the Alante N'dang Council of Elders told me,

“Our ancestors saw in a vision that one day this thing will happen. This is an open door that people will come. And when the Balanta come there has a people that will take them saying, ‘this is your people.”

In April we started receiving messages that as many as 70% of the people of Guinea Bissau may face starvation. Our organization, the Balanta B'urassa History and Genealogy Society in America sent an Appeal for Emergency Food Aid For the People of Guinea Bissau to Congress and the Congressional Black Caucus, but we were not waiting on them to help our people. Our members started donating $5, $10, $20, $100 and $200 to our fundraising campaign.

So we must look at this from the perspective of the people of Tchokmon village and reflect deeply on this. Now, we, the prophesied children, are sending food and feeding the village of Tchokmon. I try to imagine what the people are thinking in Tchokmon village when this food suddenly appeared from their lost sons and daughters who have been separated from them from over 200 years . . . . we will continue our work and hope that the other African Ancestry communities organize themselves and establish similar networks so that the Pan African vision can be realized.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION - BAMFABA

Report of the first phase of distribution of "Tchoquemon" products

INTRODUÇAO

The NGO Bamfaba is a non-state organizationof socialcarís , which emerged after the contacts that are being taken with the Balantas of the United States, since 2014, which has its heyday with the arrival of Siphiwe Ka Baleka in January 2020. Since then, the organization has begun to outline strategies in different social areas to mitigate some of the needs of the country's vulnerable communities. It is in this context of the contacts with the U.S. partners to raise funds to support the vulnerable communities of the country, within the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it obtained a sum of 1000 USD that was raised for the proper purpose, and that began with the first tabanca identified in the north of the country, bula sector, specifically in Tchoquemon.

Development

Given the urgency of the needs of vulnerable communities:

On 7 May of the current year, our partners in the USA sent the amount in the above-mentioned amount allocated for pandemic relief in the country. In which, Bamfaba's council proceeded with the creation of a commission, in which it carried out the distribution of the first needs products and subsequently the reference to the commission continued with the purchase and assignment of these products after having raised at the Bank 570,000 XOF. Throughout this process the commission mobilized the Guinea-Bissau television team (TGB) and a technician from the GB Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP/HNSM). The committee headed by the chairman of the installation committee Mr. Bicoliof Sanhá, went when it was 10 h 20min in Bairro Militar on May 16 and arrived 12 h 10min, where the team was received by the community in Tchokmon in the presence of the elders. In the act of distribution, Bicoliof Sanhá and Mário Cissé , both thanked and warned of fair sharing.

On behalf of the beneficiary community, an elder and a woman were used to behalf of women who did not hide their satisfaction with this help from the Brothers and Sisters of the United States. Thus, 750 kgs of rice, 15 buckets, 2 boxes of bleach and 2 boxes of soap were returned to 76 households. Of which, 250 kg of rice and 05 buckets, the community of Bairro Militar were donated, a total of 35 households.

CONCLUSION/ RECOMMENDATION

The team concluded that this work of designing basic genders to communities and in particular of Tchoquemon and a portion of the Military Quarter in this first phase of donations from Brother and Sister Balantas of the USA was important, in the crisis of this pandemic.

It should be noted, on the other hand, the cry for help of these and others who so badly needed this small and great support was answered. However, the commission on behalf of BF recommended the proper use and containment of the products delivered.

Therefore, the beneficiaries thanked and appealed for more extensive support to the other Balantas community.