By Ousman G. Darboe
BANJUL โLivity of Zion, a UK-based registered charity organisation, on Wednesday, 11th November 2026, extended its health and humanitarian assistance programme to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul, where they attended to patients with different medical conditions, including respiratory conditions.
Paris Nicholson, a member of Livity of Zion and a close friend of Nubian Zuhrah, the founder of the charity, revealed that the organisation was started by Nubian, whose main focus is on helping vulnerable people in Africa and also in the UK, donating food items, clothing and medical supplies to needy families, supporting hospitals, paying tuition fees for students who cannot afford to pay for themselves, and many other humanitarian services.
She said the team comprises medical doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, specialists in skin diseases and care, dental practitioners and others.
At the EFSTH on Wednesday, the team conducted free health screening activities, special care-giving and treatment, as well as donating materials to the hospital and to newly born babies.
Tej Nayee, a healthcare assistant for Childrenโs Accident and Emergency and a member of Livity of Zion, said a one-year-and-eight-months-old child who has been admitted at EFSTH has had a series of convulsions which requires an IV line to administer medication in order to stop and prevent seizures from occurring. She said they will later monitor the child and potentially administer fluids if required.
โShe has had multiple cannula attempts, one successful, however, this is no longer working. Therefore we are trying again,โ said Tej Nayee.
She stated that the members of Livity of Zion pay for all the expenses of their activities, including their travel expenses, donations, accommodation expenses and other personal expenses, by themselves.
A 17-year-old boy who has critical skin issues was also helped by the team doctors, who prescribed and purchased the medication for him. The boy, Karamba (not his real name), thanked the doctors for helping him get his medication without him paying any money for the bill.
Horeja Saine, Chief Matron at EFSTH, welcomed and expressed her appreciation for the humanitarian gesture of Livity of Zion.
โWe really appreciate your support and our doors are always open for you. We really need this kind of help, as you can see the hospital needs a lot of support because we are the only main referral hospital in the country,โ Chief Matron Saine stated.
The Public Relations Officer of EFSTH, Mr. Kebba Sanneh, also welcomed the team and expressed gratitude for their support.
Later on the same day, the team continued their mission to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, where they had a discussion with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh.
Speaking at the meeting, Nubian Zuhrah, founder of Livity of Zion, expressed commitment to helping the people of The Gambia through healthcare, education and social services. She stated a series of activities her organisation has been doing in the country and their readiness to partner with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in order to provide wider healthcare support for Gambians and help prevent some critical health conditions.
In response, the Minister highlighted various programmes and progress made by the government from 2019 to date. The Minister stated that the health sector was in a very bad state before the new administration took over in 2016, while he was serving as a medical doctor at EFSTH, where he rose through the ranks.
He said the government has made progress towards equipping hospitals with required medical equipment and medical supplies and building hospitals across the country with standard equipment. The Minister, however, noted some shortcomings in the health sector and the need for partners to address them as soon as possible. He urged Nubian to outline her priority areas of intervention and share them with the Director of Health Services so that the Ministry can know what to do and the areas of health intervention they should prioritise.
The Minister commended Nubian and her colleagues for their support to Gambians and urged them to continue keeping the momentum. He said his ministry is ever ready to work together with partners and donors to help make The Gambiaโs health sector attain its goal of universal healthcare services.
Nubian said she is optimistic about bringing more support and health projects to the country, and promised to come back to The Gambia in December 2026 to continue her project, while hoping to come with more professionals.
