peter
Fairness Moyana recently in Binga
WANKIE Lwendulu Lions Club has donated clothes, blankets, food hampers and medicines worth of US$10 000 to 181 families affected by floods that ravaged Nsungwale area in Binga earlier this year.
The floods claimed one life and left 752 people homeless after their homesteads and livestock were swept away. Scores of villagers sought shelter in trees and other slept in the mountains after rivers burst their banks.
Infrastructure such as roads, homes and bridges were destroyed in the aftermath of the flooding cutting links with the other parts of Binga. Government opened a camp at Nsungwale Primary school to temporarily shelter 37 of the affected families while it sorts land to relocate them to avoid a recurrence.
The families received food hampers that comprised mealie, cooking oil, rice, washing soap, relish, children’s clothes, mosquito nets, blankets and medicines.
The Club’s Zone chairperson Mr Mbuyuchiwawa Moyo said the donation was meant to cushion the affected families from the effects of the devastating floods.
“As Lions we are passionate about helping our community. Look at where there is a need and you will find a lion. We saw that this disaster had devastated the people of Nsungwale and it touched us when we saw those people, homeless and without food and clothes. We then decided as a club to look for money through our international community the Lions Club Foundation, which we used to buy foodstuffs, clothes and medicines,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the Wankie Lwendulu Club has been working with communities since 1977 in activities such as screening of vision, breast cancer, diabetes, conducting school quiz, food aid to old people’s homes, tree planting and wheel chair donations.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the victims, acting Binga District Development Coordinator (DDC), Mr Mgcini Mvela said the donation would assist the families in coping with food insecurity caused by the flood.
“As you may be aware, we have families that were adversely affected by the floods with some having to be moved to a camp on a temporary basis. The affected families obviously lost their livelihoods and Government together with stakeholders have been assisting through provision of water and other social amenities. This gesture by the Lions Club will definitely go a long way in assisting the families.”
The local village head, Mr Owen Kembo said following the disaster, they were surviving on handouts. He appealed to Government to expedite their relocation arguing that living at the camp was limiting them from exploring other sustainable opportunities.
“We are grateful for what Lions Club donated to us we lost everything from clothes, documents, food, livestock and medicines. We survive now through handouts from Government and NGOs since we lost our crops which were swept away by the water. We are now awaiting government to expedite our relocation so we can move on with our lives,” he said.
END
Online Reporter