He expressed that while they have begun construction on a few houses and have already delivered the first 300, there is still a need for additional homes to accommodate the enormous number of impacted individuals.
Mr. Ablakwa emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We are really in need of assistance. We have seen some of the beautiful shelters you have provided in other jurisdictions, and we want to appeal to you, the IFRC, to get us some of those shelters because very soon the rain will be upon us and these tents cannot survive that.”
The appeal was made during a donation presentation by the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS), who, with support from the IFRC, provided relief supplies such as hygiene and dignity kits, jerrycans, blankets, and treated mosquito nets to the affected persons at Mepe.
Mr. Ablakwa highlighted the prioritization of single mothers and children during the first housing project, with the second project aimed at providing care for the aged and the physically challenged, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 600.
However, the MP revealed that there were 12,633 displaced individuals in the area, according to data from the Disaster Management Organization. Only 600 of those victims would receive homes from the two projects, leaving many people in need of assistance.
Mr. Ablakwa expressed his gratitude to the Ghana Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent for the donation and their continuous support to, and interest in the welfare of the flood-affected persons.
He emphasized the importance of the relief supplies, citing their medical outreach with the Ghana Medical Association, and the need to improve sanitation conditions, as cases of typhoid and cholera were beginning to emerge due to the flood situation.
Furthermore, Mr. Ablakwa revealed that the GRCS was on the ground helping with the evacuation process and providing tents to help with the victims’ relocation during the first week of the tragedy when the flood was at its worst.
Mr. Lawrence Lutaaya, IFRC’s Operations Manager-Surge, assured that the affected individuals would receive financial support to start businesses to improve their standard of living.
He emphasized the Federation’s duty to respond to disasters promptly and urged everyone to take precautionary measures to protect the environment and prevent future disasters.
He also urged the media to continue bringing attention to the needs of the vulnerable to encourage organizations and individuals to respond and assist.
