In an interview with the President of flood Victims, Abdul Akim Koroma, he intimated this medium that, following the return of Alhaji Osman Boie Kamara after successfully undergoing medical treatment in United Kingdom, the National Executive of the flood victims approached and avail him about the September 16 torrential rains that left more than three thousand residents in Freetown homeless, confused, venerable and dejected.
He noted that, the donation was not only timely, but it will also enhance the effectiveness and swift implementation of the housing project at the designated six mile camp for the flood victims.
According to Abdul Akim Koroma, the Ministry of Trade and Industry intends to dish out soft loans to market women in the country, adding that the National Executive has pleaded with the Alhaji Osman Boie Kamara and other authorities in the Ministry to replicate such to members of his organization, who he describes as cash-strapped and people who are in desperate need of basic food and other necessities to upkeep their living conditions.
He said the Trade and Industry Minister assured them of his Ministry’ ’ pro-active and positive stance towards assisting them, as a way of capacitating and enhancing their active participation in various business ventures that will improve and sustain their livelihood.
Abdu Akim Koroma further disclosed that, a local non-governmental organization called Child Fund has distributed large quantity of learning materials to fifty five percent of over five hundred school pupils presently at the Six Mile Camp, with a financial assistance of three hundred thousand leones to each parents whose Child benefited from the items donated by Child Fund-Sierra Leone.
He expressed profound gratitude to the government of Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Gender Social Welfare and Children’s Affairs, Child Fund, Caritas and other well meaning organizations and private individuals who stood firm behind the course of flood victims and appealed to other organizations to emulate the good examples of their benefactors.
The flood victim scribe stated that, during their two months stay at the national stadium and the Brima Attouga mini complex in the wake of the flood disaster, several organizations, business institutions and various philanthropists donated items such as mattresses, buckets and other households utilities which were received and kept on their behalf by the Ministry of Gender Social Welfare and Children’s Affairs.
Following the relocation of twenty one family heads to the Six Mile, he said they were expecting the Ministry together with Office of National Security to have distributed the items to the flood victims at six Mile, stating that the items would have help them to fetch water, utilized the mattresses and other domestic arrangements.
He explained that, despite the National Executive of flood victims have made several appeals to the Ministry of Gender Social Welfare and Children’s Affairs for the distribution of the said items to flood victims at Six Mile have fallen on deaf ears.
He expressed concern over rumors doing the rounds that, a new criteria has been set up by officials managing the affairs at the Six Mile for a flood victims before accessing or securing a quarter, when the houses would have been completed.
Such a criteria, Abdul Akim said should not serve as a deterrent to prevent flood a victims from acquiring a house at six Miles, noting that, the only criteria for them to acquire a house at Six Mile is the flood victim’s identity cards.
Furthermore, the Coordinator of the Office of National Security, Ishmael Tarawalie in an interview with African Young Voices intimated that, his institution is closely and effectively monitoring all activities relating to the successful completion of the housing scheme for flood victims at the Six Miles.
Ishmael Tarawalie maintained that, some of the items presently stockpiled at the national stadium meant for flood victims, will be distributed to other communities in the hinterland of the country, who were recently affected by fire disaster leaving them homeless, confused and venerable.
