The Western Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Education on Tuesday received a donation of furniture and office stationery from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The donated items included 10 metal office cabinets, 20 office tables, 200 plastic chairs, 30 boxes of A4 paper, 10 paper punches, 30 box files, 10 medium staplers, and 20 packets of stapler pins.
While receiving the items, James Thomas, the ministry’s administration manager, lauded Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) for the support.
“We appreciate NRC for providing us with this support,” he stated. “As you can see, we have several cupboards, tables, chairs, files, and reams of A4 paper.”
Meanwhile, the Director General in the Ministry of Education, Juma Suleiman, welcomed the support, saying the ministry was lack some of the items due to the prevailing economic hardships.
“This contribution is timely and it will directly benefit schools not only in Wau Municipality but across other counties in the state, especially those in Wau County and its payams,” he said.
Suleiman underscored that the donation will strengthen the ministry’s operations.
“The items I am seeing in front of me are not small, and you have addressed the gaps we were facing because our offices have now got their structures,” he said. “We will share them with the counties, and I hope the distribution will commence through the administrative director. As the education ministry, we will work to support the learning environment for all.”
The donation is part of NRC’s projects funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support displaced and vulnerable populations to participate in economic and educational development and to foster self-reliance and long-term resilience in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.