BISHOP CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF ITEMS (Back Page)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Bishop of the Yendi Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, has called for an effective collaboration in the distribution of relief items to affected victims of this year’s floods in the northern sector of the country to ensure that they get to the people the items are meant for.
He also suggested the adoption of both short and long-term approaches in the management of disaster situations in the country instead of the current trend whereby victims of such disasters were made to undergo a long period of frustrations and sufferings before their concerns were addressed.
The Bishop noted that in the current situation, majority of the victims were poor farmers who had lost their food crops to the floods and therefore predicted a possible food shortage in the coming months, if elaborate, effective and sustainable measures were not found to address the problems that had arisen following the floods.
Bishop Boi-Nai made the call in Yendi when he handed over relief items to the development co-ordinator of the diocese, Mr William Abakasi, for onward distribution to flood victims in the eastern corridor of the Northern Region.
The assorted food items, worth ¢140 million, were made up of 575 minibags of maize, 50 bags of rice, 35 maxibags of beans, 2,300 litres of vegetable cooking oil and some bales of used clothing.
In all, 2,300 victims are benefiting from the items, which were donated by the Caritas Organisation and the National Catholic Secretariat.
The most affected parishes in the eastern corridor are Yendi, Gushiegu, Saboba, Sambuli, Demon, Sabare and Chereponi.
Bishop Boi-Nai entreated the various parish priests and members of the church to be vigilant and fair in the distribution of the items to ensure that it got to the target groups in their respective communities.
He appealed to philanthropic individuals, groups and organisations to come to the aid of the victims by donating generously to the people who are in dire need of assistance.
Mr Abakasi expressed appreciation to the benefactors for their kind gesture and gave the assurance that the items would get to the victims.