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Dry regions get food relief

Tuesday September 10 2019
By LEONCE MUVUNYI

The government has started offering food aid to the tens of thousands of needy families in Eastern parts of the country, whose crops were destroyed by drought.

Following the two consecutive seasons of dry spells that have ravaged hundreds of hectares of crops mainly in Bugesera and Kayonza districts, an average number of 15,000 people are facing starvation.

Rwanda Today visited Gashora sector Bugesera district recently, where it found that the government had started providing the needy families with the food.

It is estimated that Biryogo, Kabuye, Kagomasi, Mwendo and Ramiro cells of Gashora sector have over 4,600 people in need of food relief.

“It is a good relief for us. The sun destroyed my entire crops in the past farming seasons,”said Daniel Habumugisha, a resident of Gashora sector, who got 30 kilogrammes of beans.

According to the plan a family of four are expected to receive 30 kilogrammes of beans while families of five and above were given 60 Kilogrammes to last for one month.

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According to the local administration, priorities are given to the most impoverished families, while the rest will be covered in the next phase.

The authorities also revealed that maize will be will be distributed once they are done with supply of beans.

“We are providing them with beans assistance as the district has yet supplied us with maize,”said Jean Christophe Rwabuhihi, the secretary executive of Gashora sector.

According to the local administration, a family of four people will get 60 kilogramme of maize while those with five people and above will get 90 kilogramme in a month.

In Bugesera and Kayonza districts, which have been severely hit by the prolonged drought, officials indicate that over 9, 000 families need food assistance.

“We have started providing food assistance of beans and maize to theneedy families since last week and the second supplies have just arrived and we are going to give them out soon,” said Jean Damascene Harelimana, the vice mayor in charge of Social Affairs told Rwanda Today.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources through the strategic reservoir, ensures that the needy families will be supported until the harvesting season.

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