By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura

One of the longest serving international organizations in Sierra Leone, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on Thursday 2nd March, 2023 held a cocktail party for both local and international partners and NGOs at the Country Lodge Hotel in celebration of their 60 years of service to celebrate and hear testimonies of their works and the impact of their partnership.

The country representative for the catholic relief services (CRS) Jeanne Ella Andrianambinina has said they have been able to reach over 800,000 individuals in Sierra Leone.

Addressing participants and partners during the cocktail party Jeanne Ella Andrianambinina said the cocktail was organized as gratitude towards their partnership with both local and international partners, adding that CRS alone cannot make such achievements “it’s just gratitude about partnership and we’ve all been together.” Jeanne Ella Andrianambinina said that she was amazed at the partnership and collaboration that CRS have with several partners ranging from the government, SLANGO, different NGOs, private sector, local partners, church’s partners and mainly donors.

“So it is better to just pose, take a breath and thanked everyone and that is the reason of the cocktail of the evening,” she said.

She said CRS is in Sierra Leone for a very clear purpose to support the people in needs, kids, children, lactating women, pregnant women, people affected with malaria and different kind diseases.

Jeanne Ella Andrianambinina thanked their donors and partners USAID, EU, Global Fund, MoPED, MOHS, MBSSE, MWR, Teach Salone, UN, Caritas Freetown and Makeni and other local partners. She said the event was an opportunity to thank everyone about their gratitude in the area of education, health, urban resilience, water and environment that CRS contributes, adding that CRS is looking for more collaboration with both private and local partners.