By Murtala Issah
World Vision Ghana, a Christian Non Governmental Organisation, has donated relief items to displaced persons at Enuyaso Obiarabanye, near Makango in the East Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
Hundreds of residents of the community were displaced after the Volta Lake overflowed its banks, levelling houses and washing away farm lands.
The floods have also left water bodies in the area unclean, making access to portable water in the area a challenge.
Officials of World Vision Ghana, who heard of the plight of the people, moved to the community with relief items including water purifiers, water sieving nets, water storage containers, and buckets.
The organisation also donated menstrual pads, toothbrushes, and paste, as well as other sanitary products.
The Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Manager for World Vision, Samuel Gmalu, while presenting the items to the people, disclosed that World Vision Ghana has launched an emergency response to support persons displaced by the recent floods.
He revealed that the organisation has developed a two-million-dollar-twelve month recovery plan for the affected communities.
The strategy, he explained, will focus on providing safe drinking water, household latrines, fumigation, disinfection of water points in affected communities, provision of teaching and learning materials for affected schools, support for health facilities, and cash transfers to vulnerable households.
“Our doors are open to like-minded donors, organisations, and individuals that will like to partner with World Vision Ghana in this worthy cause,” he emphasised.
Mr. Gmalu also used the opportunity to appeal to government through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to ensure effective coordination of the disaster response.
Some of the displaced persons told GBC News that their houses are completely submerged. They are currently residing with relatives around Makango, whilst others have created makeshift structures from mosquito nets, straws, and polythene sacks.
“I live under this tent with my wife and five children; it is dark as you can see even during the day; we don’t have toilets, and access to safe water is a big problem for us,” said Seyram Kpodo, one of the displaced persons.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the East Gonja Municipality has revealed that hundreds of acres of farmland in the area have been washed away.
