September 8, 2017 By Regina Pratt
Victims listening to public address at Services Secondary School
The Government of Sierra Leone through the Office of National Security (ONS) and its partners on Wednesday September 6, 2017, visited affected victims of the August 14 mudslide and flooding, camped in various areas within the city to update them on plans for re-locations and other packages.
Speaking to affected victims at Pentagon/Jah kingdom, Kamayama, Kaningo and the Services Secondary School grounds, Director and Strategic Communications Lead, ONS, Mr. Francis Langumba Keili, informed the affected victims that government and its partners have reached an agreement to provide cash transfer packages for victims.
He said the victims have the right to choose which of the packages they would be interested in, adding that only affected people would benefit.
“The affected people are those who survived the August 14 mudslide and flooding and these are the people whose permanent structures have been destroyed,” he said.
He stated that the other set of people in the package were children who were orphaned by the disaster, school going children, widows and widowers, the injured or badly damaged, leading to disability and loss of income.
“These are also other categories of people who we referred to as affected victims. We are going to do the final registration – to be undertaken by Mr. Kabia from Social Welfare Ministry in collaboration with National Civil Registration Authority in which all data will be captured. The police will do the final verification in providing the final list for those who will be beneficiaries of the packages,” he said.
He added that ONS, government and its partners have worked out two forms of packages for all affected victims and that they would be provided in September, October and November, 2017, to take care of them between now and when the permanent structures would have been erected.
Mr. Kellie further said two camps would be set up at Juba and Old Skool grounds, in which the victims would be free to make their choice by going to the camps or choose to reside outside.
“The first package is the Humanitarian Cash Transfer which all affected persons will receive in a three- month installment for their immediate needs. We are starting this September with the sum of Le870, 000, and in October Le217, 500, and Le217, 500 in November for every household,” he said.
He continued that the second part would be meant to provide food for all affected persons, who choose to find their own accommodation, starting from September with a package of food supply for household, while cash transfer of Le783, 000 would take place in October, plus Le783, 000 in November.
He said for those who choose to stay in the camps, they will be receiving three meals daily, stating that the second package would be the Early Recovery Transfer for those who have found their own accommodation, while waiting for the permanent structure to be erected.
He said they will receive a bulk sum of Le2, 175,000 provided they are not in any of the two camps.
“All payment will be made through Airtel money transfer and they will receive new sim cards and those who do not have phones will be provided with one reasonable phone by a mobile company,” he said, adding that all household will receive identity cards for medical, food supply and cash transfers.