The Holy Month of Ramadan is and month for caring, sharing and empathising with the poor and needy.

It was in recognition of this cardinal principle of Ramadan that the staff of the American Embassy on Friday, September 26, 2008, gave out a total of 350 kilos of rice to poor and needy people around the Pipeline Mosque.

Wrapped up in the American flag, the rice was divided into 5 kilogram lots, which according to Tashawna Bethea, Political and Economic officer, each bag is meant to feed a family for five to ten days.  A total of 79 bags were distributed.

Speaking to the media, immediately after helping to distribute the bags of rice, the US ambassador to The Gambia, Barry L Wells, explained that the donation was not an official one but an initiative of American Embassy staff.

“Our staff are quite aware of the spirit of Ramadan and wanted to be part of it, to reach out to the poor and needy. Caring and sharing are part of the American value system,” he concluded.