The celebrations to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Gilo Educational Economic and Development (GEED) Foundation in Bonthe District were held yesterday 26 February 2022 in the Island of Bonthe.The GEED Foundation, established in 2007 by the Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank, Dr Walton Ekundayo Gilpin, has been providing mostly educational and economic support to Sierra Leoneans for over a decade now. Activity spans from urban Freetown to Waterloo to Tonkolili, Masiaka, and now the Bonthe District.
This weekend, inhabitants of the Bonthe District where Gilpin himself is a son of the soil, continued to benefit from his astute benevolence and desire to develop human capacity in Sierra Leone.
According to Gilpin, his Foundation aims at complementing the efforts of the government of Sierra Leone, in accordance with the wishes of President Julius Maada Bio to turn round the fortunes of an Island that had suffered decline after its glory days. One of the key fundamentals to growth and development, he said, is education.
To this end, he encouraged indigenes to put premium on education. He also shared a motivational sermon on the importance of sharing and called on more influential indigenes of Bonthe to emulate the examples of those who have parted with their little resources to help the people of Bonthe.
Mayor of Bonthe Municipality, Lamin Joe Sandi, recalled the days when the Island was referred to as Christmas Island with 24-hour electricity, running water and paved streets. He paid tribute to President Bio for trying to bring back those glorious days to the Island through the reconstruction of its main streets, harbour and other important social infrastructure on the Island.
The GEED Foundation’s Fourth Anniversary celebration was climaxed by a well-attended march past, motivational-speaking session and the donation of educational items worth millions of Leones to school children of Bonthe Island.
“We are heartened by the work Dr Ekundayo Gilpin is doing in Sierra Leone – as his focus continues to be to assist in the developmental aspirations of his country people in the younger generation.”
Gilpin hails from a strong Christian-praying family, with every of their step rooted in the hands of God.
Perter Sandi Reporting from Bonthe
