Standard Times (Freetown)
George Wilson
19 October 2001
UNPP member of parliament Hon. Hassan Kanu has called on government to monitor and control the activities of certain non-governmental organisations masquerading the Tonkolili District under the pretext of assisting the rural poor.
Hon. Kanu who recently visited several villages in the district disclosed that most NGOs parade the villages with flamboyant promises of aiding the people with shelter.
Hon. Kanu, who declined to name the NGO's said that the people have become suspicious of their activities as they have on several occasions promised the people without fulfillment. According to him, the NGOs usually instruct the people to construct mud houses while assuring them of sheet which they never provided for them. He lamented that after construction, the NGO's never show up with the materials which eventually caused the houses to collapse. He regretted that most of the houses have collapsed especially as a result of the rains. He appealed to government and other meaningful NGOs to treat the people with every sincerity particularly when we are just emerging from a war situation and the people are in desperate need of shelter.
In another development P.C. Hon. Samba Hindowa expressed concern over the pace at which teachers are running away from the profession to seek employment in NGOs in Bo and other provincial headquarter towns.
P.C. Hindowa stated that last year about nine teachers unceremoniously left Christ the King College Bo, seven from Ahmaddyya, five from UCC and that other schools suffered from the exodus of teachers.
Hon. Hindowa appealed to government, especially the ministry of Education to employ mechanisms to ensure that such a development is averted.
Hon. Hindowa however congratulated the government for school materials recently supplied to a series of primary schools in Bo and its environs.
"The pupils and parents were extremely exited to receive school materials that have not been supplied for over thirty years" he maintained. He expressed hope that the ministry would continue with such exercise.
Meanwhile, Hon. Cecil Hanson has championed a peace initiative geared towards bridging the gap among the youths of Bo.
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