The Freedom From Hunger Campaign has held its annual general meeting in Mansakonko, Lower River Region. The long standing meeting, which took about half a day was facilitated by Concern Universal through its Excel Project.

The Freedom From Hunger Campaign is an NGO established in the late 1960's and early 1970's in Low-Income and Food Deficit Countries (LIFDC) through the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations to eradicate global hunger.

It has a broad community based agricultural focus centred on women farmers, rice growing and agronomic improvement (improved varieties and crop husbandry, improved access, anti-saline structures and water retention dykes), animal traction, and horticulture among other things.

In his statement, Babanding Jaiteh, director, FFHC, said since their inception in the Gambia, they have had a series of activities particularly on improving rice development (access through construction of bridges, cause-ways), income generation and rural finance intermediation that have also been confined to the Lower River Region, an area with high incidences of poverty.

He noted that some parts of the North Bank and Central River Regions have also benefited from his organisation's interventions.

The FFHC has, however, in the recent past been encountering difficulties with respect to funding resulting in the curtailing of its activities as well as the laying off of a large number of staff. This according to him culminated from the pulling out of the major donors - German-Agro Action in 2003.

"In light of the above, Concern Universal was approached to help in funding the relocation. In the process, the FFHC team and Concern Universal's Excel Project manager, with identified surveyors from FAMs construction Ltd, travelled to Mansakonko, to assess the damage and estimate the cost of repairs of FFHC offices," he explained.

The team also visited targeted areas of FFHC interventions.

Mr Jaiteh further spoke on the relevance of the relocation and possible impact on the lives of the poor.

For his part, Momodou Suma Jobe, governor, Lower River Region, said FFHC was established in The Gambia by the government with the aim of building an institution outside the government's bureaucracy through which support to the needy parts of the population could be channelled.

Governor Jobe added that the collaboration with German-Agro commenced in 1976 after the World Food Conference of 1974, and has been supporting government's efforts aimed at attaining food security.

Other speakers at the meeting included Sariyang Jobarteh, chairman, FFHC, Musa Jawneh, president of the Farmers Platform, and was chaired by Muhammed Fayinkeh, national co-ordinator of the National Federation of Gambia UNESCO Clubs and Centres.