By CHILA NAMAIKO-
THE people of Singani chiefdom in Choma have said Government’s distribution of relief food under Food for Work Programme has helped to accelerate local developmental projects.
Government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) recently distributed relief food to hunger hit- households in the chiefdom under food for work projects.
Senior Headman Chazangwe of Chazangwe Village said food for work local projects such as construction of local health posts were significant in fostering developments in the area.
“Through food for work projects, we are directly involved such as building local health posts and teachers’ houses which has helped to bring more developments,” he said.
He was speaking at the weekend at Mboole Primary School when Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice- President, Davies Mwango visited beneficiaries of food for work projects.
The headman commended Government’s provision of relief saying it was significant in mitigating the hunger crisis.
He cited the completion of a teacher’s house at Kasukwe community school and on-going building of a health post near Mboole Primary School as some of the food for work projects.
Headman Chuundwe, however, urged Government to merge the food for work programme with the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) for people to work and get farming inputs.
Mr Mwango said President Michael Sata did not want to anybody to die from hunger hence Government’s quick distribution of relief food.
He said he was in Southern Province touring hunger-hit districts to assess how Government through DMMU could distribute more relief food.
Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary Douglas Ngimbu assured of Government’s commitment to improve their lives by engaging them in empowerments projects.
Choma District Commissioner Bernadette Hamweemba said though Government was providing relief food, people should work harder and access farming inputs under FISP.