By Draper C. Tolborh Sr.

Canadian philanthropist Krish Roopnarine and family (Dee, Demitri and Yuri Roopnarine) recently donated 25 tournament-sized table tennis boards to the Hagie Gai Derammeh Foundation for the Physically Challenged to be distributed nation-wide in Gambia.

Making the donation Mr. Roopnarine stressed that ‘’table tennis is a highly inclusive, adaptable, and low-injury sport that provides crucial physical, mental and social benefits for the physically challenged’’.

The Canadian humanitarian noted “table tennis actively improves hand-eye coordination, core strength, and reaction times, while also serving as an excellent therapeutic outlet that builds confidence and social integration”.

The adaptability of a table tennis board allows individuals with various physical conditions such as spinal cord injuries, amputations or neurological disorders to participate equally.

Mr. Roopnarine said adapted table tennis allows physically challenged athletes to compete fairly against both other disabled players and able-bodied individuals.

He added that this can foster community, help to battle isolation and improve overall mental well-being.

It can be recalled that in February this year a bus was donated by Krish Roopnarine and his family to help ease transportation constraints that the foundation was faced with.

Prior to this, the Roopnarine family donated essential supplies, including wheelchairs, walkers, and surgical gowns, to the foundation.

The items were later distributed to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and Kanifing General Hospital.

In June last year, the family donated two motorcycle ambulances to two communities of Foni Berefet District, a rural part of Gambia.

The ambulances were constructed and designed by Krish Roopnarine and his family in Canada and then shipped to the Gambia.

They were presented to Foni Berefet and Nyankui in the Upper River Region. The ambulances, extraordinarily engineered to be attached to motorbikes, were customized to meet the challenging topography and urgent healthcare needs of the rural communities.

Krish Roopnarine began his humanitarian work in 2013 and has donated over 2000 plus educational materials, wheelchairs, mobile ambulance, school bus, walkers, funds etc. to over 25 countries globally including in Africa.