The Rotary International District 9104 has donated an amount of one hundred thousand Ghana Cedis to the Ghana Red Cross Society to help alleviate the plight of persons affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage.
Thousands of residents in parts of the Volta Region have been displaced for weeks now, with properties, including farmlands, destroyed due to the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority.
Data from the North Tongu Education Directorate also suggests that over 14,000 students have been affected by the spillage as classrooms are being used as safe havens for flood victims.
Many corporate organizations, state institutions, and benevolent individuals have made several donations to the victims in the form of relief items such as mattresses, food items, and healthcare delivery.
The latest donor is the Rotary International District 9104, which offered an amount of one hundred thousand Ghana Cedis to the Ghana Red Cross Society on November 1, 2023, to boost their relief efforts.
At a short ceremony to hand over the cheque to the Ghana Red Cross Society, the District Governor of Rotary District 9104, David Osei Amankwah Jnr, said, “Given the nature of the flooding from the North to the Volta, we looked for an organization that could provide fair relief to everyone affected. Obviously, as an organization of volunteers, we won’t be able to do that as effectively as the Red Cross. So, we signed an MoU with them so that they could handle that part of the work on our behalf.”
Rotary District 9104 also assured that they would offer soft support, such as psychological and health screening in the coming days.
Receiving the funds on behalf of the Ghana Red Cross Society, the Secretary-General, Solomon Gayoni, noted that “we have been on the ground, and we have seen how devastating this flood has been. Thousands of people have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and even a place to lay their heads is a challenge. I believe that the donation they have made will go a long way to alleviate some of the suffering they are going through now.”
Mr. Gayoni mentioned that the Ghana Red Cross Society is currently registering vulnerable people to assess their needs and respond to them effectively. He also proposed that proper fumigation is conducted before the victims relocate to their respective abodes due to the high contamination of the floodwaters.