Catholic Relief Services supports East Gonja flood victims
The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has given coupon vouchers to over 700 displaced persons who were affected by floods in the East Gonja District last year.
The beneficiaries are to use the money to buy items such as building materials, hardware, food stuffs, clothing, mattresses and books for their children. Part of the money can also be used to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Beneficiaries of the program included people aged 65 years and above, nursing mothers, pregnant women, children under three years and the physically challenged.
Mrs Lisa Washington-Sow, the CRS representative in Ghana, said beneficiaries could use the vouchers to purchase the items in their respective local markets.
She said the programme was an innovation designed by CRS to replace the traditional method for distribution of food and non-food items.
The funds generated would stay with the traders at the village level and also encourage local production and consumption as well as help beneficiaries to select what they needed most.
She said the presentation of the money in a form of voucher sought to provide preliminary assistance to the victims as a medium term intervention to help them to reconstitute their assets and prepare for the next farming season.
Mr Alhassan Mumuni, District Chief Executive of the East Gonja, commended CRS, and the Catholic Church for their attention and prompt assistance to the district.
He said the voucher system was an excellent and innovative approach, which replaced the traditional food and other material donations, adding that this could stimulate the local economy and help to improve the lives of the people.
Mr Mumuni said the floods affected about 20 communities and displaced over 15,000 people while schools, health centres, bridges, roads, animals and farmlands were destroyed.
“The flood has brought hunger and poverty to the affected communities rendering most of them homeless bringing economic activities to a halt”, he said
Source: GNA