PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SUPPORTS FLOOD AFFECTED PERSONS WITH GH₡1.1 MILLION
The Presbyterian Relief Services and Development (PRESED), an agency of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has provided multipurpose cash support to 1000 individuals; approximately, 5383 Households in the Volta region of Ghana.
This gesture is to assist the persons who were affected by recent floods in the Volta region as a result of the Akosombo Dam Spillage. The cash transfer, funded by the ACT Alliance is meant for the beneficiaries to procure basic needs to relieve them of their plight to enable them to bounce back to life.
The Act Alliance is a global faith-based coalition organized in national and regional forums operating in more than 120 countries and more than 140 members. The alliance works on humanitarian aid, gender and climate justice, migration and displacement, and peace and security to support local communities. Its goal is to promote a locally-led and coordinated approach to advocacy, humanitarian and developmental issues.
The Ghana Forum Coordinator of the Alliance who is also the National Coordinator for PRESED, Emmanuel Nyarko Ankamah said the alliance was touched by the plight of the affected persons hence the support from the Rapid Response Fund to aid the affected persons to relieve them of their plight.
He called on all relief agencies to come together to implement livelihood enhancement programmes to enable the affected persons, their families, and communities to bounce back to normalcy.
DSS
The National Director for Development and Social Services of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Tieko Sabah highlighted that the church as part of its social witnessing has commiserated with the affected persons and their families since the day the unfortunate incident happened.
She indicated that the church has provided numerous supports including the distribution of relief items and water supply in Mepe, Tokpo, Tefle, Battor, Sogakope, Ada, Sokpoe, Adidome, and Akuse. She said the church is planning more support such as the provision of portable water and distribution of educational materials in Mepe and its surrounding communities. She expressed the Church’s appreciation to the ACT Alliance for the gesture.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the Church and development partners ACT Alliance for the kind gesture. Yayra Grace, a single mother resident in Sogakope noted that she will use the money to repair her damaged house. Doris Amehlor from Mepe on her part says she will use the money to start a business.
Background
The Volta River Authority (VRA) began the controlled water spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, due to the consistence rise in the inflow pattern and water level in the Akosombo reservoir.
During the unfortunate times, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana through the Department of Development and Social Services sent timely support of clothing, hot meals, rice, tins of fish, mattresses, and many more relief items.
Total number of persons affected by the floods was approximately 36,000 in 9 districts (NDMO, 2023). The increased number of affected persons widened the unmet basic needs in sectors such as Food, Wash, Health, Education, and livelihoods. Based on the humanitarian gaps identified, during the needs assessment, the Presbyterian Relief Services and Development decided to provide multipurpose cash for 1000 households through mobile cash transfer based on community consultation of their unmet needs. In addition to the cash intervention, the response will support the 200 most affected farmers in replacing their seeds and tools livelihoods of the most affected farmers who lost their seeds and tools.
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