The Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM) has taken foodstuffs to some 400 poor people in their homes in the Upper East Region.
The 400 donees— who include widows, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and orphans — are among scores of disadvantaged individuals who have been unable to eat sufficient food in the region for a continuous period owing to hardship.
The charitable organisation says the situation of the hungry poor in the region has been worsened by the ripple effect of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The support is from Oxfam. Those we targeted are actually those in need— the aged, some of them cannot walk. Each of them had ten kilogrammes of rice, two litres of cooking oil and one nose mask. Since COVID-19 emerged, a lot of people have lost their jobs. People are struggling. If those who have are struggling, it means those who do not have are struggling more.
“COVID-19 is impacting everybody and there is hardship. This donation is to support them. We know it will not do much but it can be managed for a short time whilst maybe the government or other people are also looking at more sustainable ways of reaching them,” the WOM’s Director, Fati Abigail Abdulai, told Starr News.
The beneficiaries, made up of 380 adults and 20 children, received the support in the Bolgatanga Municipality, the Bongo District, the Nabdam District and the Talensi District.
“I have been struggling with a chronic pain in one of my arms. As a result, it has been difficult for me to fend for myself. I’m too speechless to express how happy I feel for getting this support. I am very grateful to the Widows and Orphans Movement as well as Oxfam for keeping us in mind. It is my heartfelt prayer that their work will grow much bigger,” said Atampoka Akura, a widow at Amanga in Bongo.
Another widow, Gifty Mogre, told the donors at Gundork in Nabdam: “When the coronavirus pandemic came to the country, we were all scared to go out to work for fear of contracting the disease. We had to stay in our homes. We want to say a big thank-you to you the Widows and Orphans Movement and Oxfam for bringing us this foodstuff to keep us alive in the era of the pandemic.”
Early-bird Nabdam catches Oxfam’s emergency worm
The dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many assemblies in the region as having no response plans prepared for any unexpected crises when they strike, according to the WOM.
The WOM’s donor partner, Oxfam Ghana, filled that gap recently in the Nabdam District by assisting its assembly with a disaster preparedness plan.
“Oxfam also helped us to support one district assembly— that’s the Nabdam District Assembly— to prepare an emergency preparedness plan. This was because most of the assemblies did not have any emergency plan or, even if they had, it was out of date.
“So, when COVID came, most of them didn’t know how to respond as an assembly. Most of them didn’t have a plan. So, we helped the Nabdam District to prepare this plan. It was not only on COVID but on disasters and emergencies in general. They worked on COVID. They worked on bushfires. They worked on floods. They identified the common emergencies or disasters that happen in their district,” said the WOM’s Director.
She added: “The Presiding Member of the assembly was part of it. The planning officers were involved, too. It was a participatory session. What we did was to find a consultant to lead the process of developing the plan. They came out with activities which they need to carry out to prevent future disasters and to respond in case an emergency or a disaster happens. The assembly also prepared a budget and attached it to the plan. We had a responsibility to support only one assembly. Nabdam was the first to show interest.”
By Starrfm.com.gh/Edward Adeti
