Flood victims receive relief items

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with Direct-Aid Ghana, a relief agency, has donated items worth thousands of Ghana Cedis, to 250 flood victims at Asokore-Mampong in Kumasi.

Each of the affected households received a 25 kilogramme bags of rice, five litres cooking oil, a quantity of tinned tomatoes, blankets and mattress, in addition to a monthly remittance of GH¢100 for the next three months.

Nana Oye Lithur, the Sector Minister, said the relief items were meant to alleviate the plight of the victims, who lost their belongings and other property in the recent flooding in the Asokore-Mampong Municipality.

The incident claimed two lives, including one-and-a-half year old boy.

Majority of the victims are residents of Aboabo Number One and Two, which are both flood-prone areas.

Nana Oye who was accompanied by her deputy, Mr Alexander John Ackon, citing a report from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), said the recent flooding affected a total of 1, 486 people in the Ashanti Region, with 804 of the victims coming from the Asokore-Mampong Municipality.

She said in order to bring some comfort to the victims and others who also suffered similar fate nationwide, the government had earmarked GH¢3.9 million under the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) to be distributed to them.

The Ministry would, with support from Direct-Aid, also donate school bags to children of school-going age who lost their educational items in the flooding.

Mr. Ahmed Sheikh Abdirahman Omar, Country Director of Direct-Aid, affirmed the organization’s resolve to support the vulnerable, particularly those who were affected in the recent flooding.

Mr. Nuru Hamidan, Asokore-Mampong Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said considering the high poverty rate in the area it was imperative that the government came to the aid of the people through the LEAP, to enhance their well-being.

Alhaji Umar Farouk, Ashanti Regional Head of the Zongo Community, thanked the government for the gesture.

The Minister was accompanied by her Deputy, Mr. Alexander John Ackon.