By Weswa Ronnie
NAMISINDWA
Uganda Red Cross society has donated Shs46 million to be given to households identified from four districts in Uganda that are prone to disasters.
The districts in the country which have been selected are Namisindwa, Butaleja, Kasese and Bukedia from the Teso region.
According to Jorum Musinguzi, the Uganda Red Cross Manager Cash Transfers, this money will be used by few homesteads that will have been identified from the selected districts to pay for labour in putting in place disaster preventive measures like planting trees, proper water drainage systems, planting bamboo shoots along river banks among others.
He added that each family will get Shs200,000 for the purpose of paying for labour.
Mr. Musiguzi said ‘’ we used Red Cross volunteers and local leaders to identify real people who are living in disaster areas in the four selected districts.’’
While speaking on Saturday during the sensitization of Namisindwa district leaders at resort hotel located at Bumbo town council in Namisindwa district, Patrick Kutosi, the Manafwa district Red Cross branch Manager that includes Bududa, Namisindwa and Manafwa its self said that in Namisindwa they have identified four sub counties of Namisindwa town council, Bukhaweka town council, Nambya and Buwatuwa.
‘’We have identified one hundred and fifteen 115 households in those selected sub counties at Namisindwa which are most hit by disasters during heavy rains,’’ Mr Kutosi said.
Kutosi said, ‘’today we started sensitizing local leaders, after we will go to beneficiaries such that this program progresses well.’’
Mr. Kutosi also said that these beneficiaries are going to be given money through a mobile money system that they can use to pay people who will help them in doing activities like planning trees, digging trenches for proper drainage, planting bamboo shoots among others which will help to deter future disasters.
Stella Watsemba, the Namisindwa district environmental officer during the sensitization exercise said that most of the river banks have been tampered with by people living around them.
Mrs Watsemba said ‘’during rain this rivers flood and they attack people homes since all trees which have been catching water have been removed.’’
She praised the Red Cross for coming up with such measures saying this is going to reduce disasters in the district.
Jackson Wakwaika, the Namisindwa district LCV chairperson also urged people from the selected areas to embrace the program.
He urged them to use this chance and put measures like planting trees, planting bamboo shoots among others which will reduce disasters.
Mr. Wakwaika also urged them to use the money if they get well rather than misappropriating it since they are going to benefit themselves.
