Britain donates 556m/- to help flood victims

Photo: Courtesy of UK High Commission

Kemi Williams, the development director at the UK High Commission.

 By Guardian Reporter , The Guardian

BRITAIN has donated euro 200,000 (556m/-) to the country to help victims of floods arising from ongoing heavy rains

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The support is at present expected to benefit 41,462 listed flood victims in Rufiji, Kibiti, Lindi, Kilwa, Malinyi, Katavi and Morogoro urban areas, to access household needs to ease their hardships.

Kemi Williams, the development director at the UK High Commission, said that the money is being released through the Start Network, globally linked humanitarian agencies working with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The aid comes at a time when various spots in the country face disaster due to heavy rains, landslides and mudflows. Hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered homeless, with closure of schools and hampering health care work.

Rufiji and Kibiti districts in Coast Region have over 8,000 pupils missing classes, with efforts being made for them to resume learning in nearby schools.

The diplomat said that ActionAid (T) will administer the funds, to provide various services to flood victims.

"The aid will aim to help the communities affected by the floods with food and non-food aid such as repairing health centres, water and toilets," she explained.

Elias Mtinda, the ActionAid (T) programme and partnership manager, said they will use the funds to provide humanitarian aid to flood victims in most areas the government has identified as in need of urgent support.

Approximately 41,562 people of all groups, including women and children, are expected to be reached by this project directly or by extension from those reached out, he said.

Water storage tanks, clothes, school supplies for pupils besieged by floods, raising skills on the handling of disasters, repairing toilets in affected schools, and help with restoring bridges and making roads passable in disaster hit villages, he elaborated.

The Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) has meanwhile predicted stormy weather that could face seagoing vessels up to the weekend, for the coastal zone and Lake Nyasa riparian regions.