By Foday Moriba Conteh
As part of their support to the August 2rd, 2021 Kingtom Fire victims in order to alleviate their plight , the Government of Sierra Leone through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has on Tuesday 17th August, 2021 donated assorted food and non-food items worth millions of Leones to the Kingtom fire victims. The donation exercise took place at Kingtom Community in Freetown.
During the August 2rd 2021 fire disaster at the Kingtom community, 41 households and 13 houses were affected of which the said donation catered for and each of the households received one bag of rice, 2 gallons of cooking oil, 1 blanket, 1 prayer mat, 1 drinking bucket etc. followed by 13 Tarpaulin for the 13 affected houses.
Welcoming the NDMA Team, the Chief of the Kingtom Community, Chief Haja Yalimamy Bangura, expressed appreciation to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for the gesture which she described as a laudable venture in alleviating the plight of the fire disaster on the victims.
She assured them that the donated items to the victims will be used judiciously in order to support themselves and their families.
In his address, the Deputy Director of Relief and Response at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Morlu Brewah, noted that they are pleased to make the donation to the victims on behalf of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio whom out of his wisdom is trying to deal with disaster management issues in the country established the National Disaster Management Agency as a stand-alone agency.
He noted that they received a complaint about the August 2nd fire disaster at the Kingtom Community and the NDMA deemed it fit to undertake such a move in order to support the victims by donating the assorted food and non-food items to them.
Morlu Brewah revealed that the NDMA has been in existence as a stand-alone agency barely 9 months but said they have been embarking on several activities in order to deal with disaster management issues in the country.
He used the opportunity to inform victims that they have a role to play in mitigating disaster in their communities of which he encouraged them to desist from activities that will lead to disaster occurrence and these include the choice of living and their activities which he described as very important in dealing with disasters.
Disclosing the donation package to victims the Deputy Director of Relief and Response said each of the households received one bag of rice, 2 gallons of cooking oil, 1 blanket, 1 prayer mat, 1 drinking bucket etc. and 13 Tarpaulins for the 13 affected houses as part of their support towards alleviating the plight of the victims.
On his part, the Councillor of Ward 431, Constituency 125, Councillor Murray A. Conteh, expressed gratitude to the Government of Sierra Leone and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for the gesture.
The Sierra Leone People’s Party Constituency 125 Chairman, Alhaji Komba, also joined the beneficiaries to shower praises ton the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for the support given to the victims which he described as not only important but a timely intervention.
He said that prior to the donation they received a team from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) on a working visit in order to assess the impact of the fire disaster. He assured NDMA that the donated items will be used for their intended purposes.
Daniel Mark Kamara, one of the beneficiaries, applauded the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for considering them at this crucial moment in their lives, adding that the fire disaster destroyed all what they had leaving them with nothing.
He called on other organizations to follow the footprint of the NDMA as the Kingtom fire victims are in dire need of food and non-food items support considering the damages the fire disaster had caused to their lives.
