He might have been born and bred in Norway which makes him a Norwegian. But The Gambia was so good with Terje Skogsfjord that his dying wish was to be buried in the country, a wish fulfilled for his departed soul on Tuesday. He was 62.

“He fell sick and was admitted at Afrimed [Clinic], where he died on March 16, 2016,” Seedy Darboe, one of his Gambian friends told What’s On-Gambia.

Terje Skogsfjord, the famous Norwegian philanthropist, was laid to rest in Kololi after his family fulfilled his dying wish.

He first set foot in The Gambia in 2011. Since then the Norwegian had been visiting the country almost every year.

Seedy said: “He was renting an apartment in Kololi for two years, but in January he moved to Manjai Kunda. He was spending his winters in The Gambia.”

Terje was said to be one of the most visible and generous European philanthropists in the country. Most of the children he supported were from vulnerable families.

“One of the reasons why he was spending six months in the country every year was to be able to help the needy and poor. He was among the sponsors of the Butterfly Friends Foundation, a charity that built eight schools in The Gambia and sponsoring dozens of children.”

A kindergarten teacher in Brikama, Pacey Ceesay described Terje as a good man.

“Such a good man still can’t forget thinking of him,” he said.

May his soul rest in peace!