News
US gives UGX365m for flood victims in Rwenzori
Outgoing Ambassador Deborah Malac
The People of Kasese and the wider Rwenzori sub region could be the last lucky beneficiaries of America’s display of kindness under outgoing Ambassador Deborah Malac as she prepares to leave the country following the end of her diplomatic service for the United States in Uganda.
In a statement to the media, the US Embassy under the leadership of Ambassador Malac is giving Catholic Relief Services US dollars 100,000, Approximately UGX 365 million to purchase essential items for an estimated 1000 people affected by the recent extensive floods and landslides that ravaged the region.
Uganda Red Cross workers ventured helped to rescue many people that were trapped by the massive floods
he statement notes that: “The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Uganda is awarding the international disaster assistance funds to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to support over 1,000 flood-affected individuals in the Rwenzori sub-region. Through the USAID award, CRS will provide emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and non-food items to communities with the greatest need in Bundibugyo.”
It adds: “The immediate needs of affected populations include blankets, shelter materials, soap, jerrycans, mosquito nets, medicine to treat water- and vector-borne disease, and food assistance.”
The US embassy estimates that the last years heavy rains and flooding that began in September 2019 negatively impacted nearly 300,000 people across Uganda.
The statement further notes that: “To ensure the U.S. assistance targets the most vulnerable households, CRS will coordinate with local government officials and affected communities and consult with marginalized groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly to adapt programming to their specific needs and challenges. They will work with a local sub-partner, Caritas, to implement activities, with the secondary aim of strengthening Caritas’ capacity to respond to reoccurring disasters.”
USAID has pledged to continue to liaise with the Uganda government and relief agencies to determine the type and amount of potential additional assistance.
The heavy rains also devastated hundreds of thousands of people in the Elgon sub region where landslides killed dozens of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Ambassador Malac is set to hold her last press conference as US Ambassador to Uganda next week in which she will highlight her country’s contribution towards improving the lives of millions of people in Uganda.
In a farewell meeting with president Museveni recently, Ambassador Malac reportedly told the president that she’s ending her diplomatic service to the United States in Uganda after 39 years.
Comments
