By Lekereni Chinkhota

Salima, September 10, Mana: 308 ultra-poor households from Senior Chiefs Pemba and Ndindi on Monday received assorted items as part of the hunger response from World Relief through the District's Disaster Risk Management Office.

Speaking during the distribution exercise, the Disaster Risk Management Officer for Salima Council, Gloria Chinangwa said the support has come after the households were identified by World Relief as ultra-poor and needed help from different stakeholders.

“We conducted an assessment collaboratively with World Relief to identify ultra-poor families. After the assessment, World Relief arranged assorted items to help these families to reduce the challenges these families face in their everyday lives,” she said.

Chinangwa said such families and those affected by floods and dry spells need alot of support from different stakeholders for their survival because they face many challenges.

“We are requesting other stakeholders to emulate the same gesture and help us to support these households because the levels of hunger in the community are very high,” she said.

A beneficiary from Chimoga village in the area of Senior Chief Ndindi commended the good job World Relief has done to help them alleviate hunger in their families.

“We struggle to find food for our families. When they found us for the assessment, we were hoping for good things to help us and they did. Not many are doing this to people who are poor like us. May the good work they have done for us today also reach other people who are struggling,” he said.

Another beneficiary from Senior Chief Pemba, Shakira Banda said the support that World Relief has given them eased some of their challenges.

“This support is greatly appreciated. It is difficult to find food because we were hit by dry spells that made us not yield enough maize for our families this year,” she said. 

Meanwhile, the Disaster Risk Management Office is asking different stakeholders and partners to help the office source various items to support affected families in need.

The support has reached 308 households, and each household received a bag of fortified maize flour, cooking oil, salt, and soya pieces.