By MUNTANGA MALINDI –
THE Government has distributed 450 bags of relief food to vulnerable groups in Lusaka’s Chawama Constituency in a bid to avert hunger.
The maize is being distributed by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) under the Vice-President’s Office in collaboration with Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health.
DMMU national coordinator Patrick Kangwa said 1,200 bags would be distributed to four wards in the constituency.
Mr Kangwa said 450 bags of maize had already been released with 300 distributed to one ward.
He was speaking during the launch of the programme at Chawama’s Push project offices yesterday,.
Mr Kangwa said the district disaster management committee of Lusaka worked with the local leadership in the area to identify the families in need of food as they were on the verge suffering from hunger.
Mr Kangwa said the relief food distribution programme would be carried out in 31 districts countrywide to ensure that vulnerable people had access to food.
He said the DMMU expected 100 per cent transparency during the distribution exercise so that vulnerable people could benefit from Government resources.
Lusaka District Commissioner Davies Mulenga said the Government was working with cooperating partners to ensure that vulnerable people were empowered with resources to improve their livelihood.
Mr Mulenga said apart from food, there was facilitation of access to improved healthcare for the people to improve their wellbeing.
Chawama Member of Parliament (MP) Lawrence Sichalwe thanked the DMMU for the relief food as it would contribute to alleviating the challenges facing the people in his constituency.