Agona Swedru, March 14, GNA - The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has presented 200 bags of rice 1,080 people who were hit by floods last year.

The beneficiaries include the aged, pregnant women, lactating mothers, the physically challenged and children less than five years. Mr John Lloyd Sackey, Director Migrant Commission of the National Catholic Secretariat who made the presentation, said the donation formed the second phase of support the CRS was giving the victims. He said during the first phase, the CRS presented cement, roofing sheets, cooking oil, tin tomatoes, toilet rolls, second-hand clothing and other items to the victims in September last year. It also paid the National Health Insurance Scheme registration fees for some of the flood victims and this amounted to 60,000 Ghana cedis. He said the second phase of the support was initiated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Most Rev Leon Kalenga.

Mr Sackey appealed to people in the Municipality to de-silt gutters and desist from building in water ways to avoid future reoccurrence of the flood disaster.

Mr Raymond Kweku Tsotome, Agona West Municipal Director of NADMO who received the items on behalf of the victims and also supervised its immediate distribution to the victims, thanked the CRS for the donation.

He appealed to other local and foreign donors, non-governmental organizations and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the victims with building materials.

Floods on June 20 last year destroyed property and rendered several people homeless at Agona Swedru and Agona Nyakrom. 1