NRA Donates to Gbomsamba When it comes to being benevolent and giving to charity and vulnerable groups, one institution that comes to mind is the National Revenue Authority (NRA). The Commissioner-General of the NRA, Madam Haja Kallah-Kamara, has always maintained that the institution believes in the fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility. She has stated on numerous occasions that NRA’s corporate social responsibility programmes are designed to change lives and take prosperity to people.The NRA according to Madam Kallah-Kamara empowers people to help eradicate poverty.
Last weekend, the people of Gbomsamba received generous donations from the NRA. The Chief of Gbomsamba, Pa Alimamy Turay praised the NRA Boss for the donation of food items including rice, sugar, onions, oil and provisions. He said the NRA Boss is a true philanthropist who gets enormous pleasure from helping the poor and putting smiles on people’s faces, as well as doing community work. He stated that Madam Haja Kallah-Kamara has been supporting the people of Gbomsamba for over three years now and that she has donated millions of Leones in food aid to provide meals for needy families in Gbomsamba each year. He was of the view that this latest donation will go a long way to support the people of Gbomsamba during the month of Ramanda.
“We are thankful to Madam Haja Kallah-Kamara and salute her remarkable efforts to transform our community. Her donations are always greatly appreciated. May she go from strength to strength for her excellent performance in generating revenue for government, and above all for her outstanding humanitarian work for the poor and needy,” Chief Pa Alimamy Turay stated.
Indeed, the NRA, under the leadership of Madam Haja Kallah-Kamara is fast developing a legacy of giving to community through her grass-roots community-based approach to corporate social responsibility. Since 2013 when the NRA adopted Gbomsamba and embarked on community development projects at the village, the institution has been leading efforts to transform vulnerable communities for sustainable development. The Priority has been on education, agriculture, water supply and youth and women’s empowerment. This grass-roots community-based approach to corporate social responsibility comes at a time when government is increasingly relying on both private and public institutions to support its Agenda for Prosperity priorities. In fact, government ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) are now required to contribute to a number of core developmental issues already central to government’s agenda for prosperity as part of their corporate social responsibility. As a means of encouraging charitable initiatives, corporate social responsibility is now part of performance contracts signed by government and MDAs to ensure that MDAs support local communities where they operate.
The NRA is the first institution to put words into action by donating food to the hungry to help government’s fight to end hunger, responding to disasters and adopting Gbomsamba, a village about 120 kms from Freetown to address developmental needs. Currently, the Authority is funding the installation of water well for improved water supply, and constructing a 5-classroom secondary school and library. It has also recently refurbished houses of families in need, renovated the primary school and donated exercise books, pens and pencils as part of its educational support. It has also provided solar power in the village.
Rural community development has become critical for national development. As most people in rural areas are struggling to support their families, the intervention of institutions like the NRA will go a long way in making a life-changing difference in people’s lives. According to the NRA Boss, Gbomsamba is the first of many villages that the NRA intends to adopt and transform.