The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Kailahun district, Josephine Blakie, has told the press that in collaboration with the ministry of Agriculture, WFP is giving food for work indiscriminately to more vulnerable people with priority to widows and the aged.
She said they were also giving out food for work for tree crops rehabilitation for Luawa, Upper Bambara, Dea, Malema, Kpeje Bongre, Kissi Tongi and Kissi Teng chiefdoms all in the Kailahun district.
Josephine Blakie said if the FFW were approved they would continue to work with cooperating partners in one of the most vulnerable chiefdoms. She added that they had increased their coverage in the health sectors, saying that they were giving supplementary feeding in 58 health centres in the district in collaboration with the ministry of Health and Sanitation.
Ten out of the 58 centres WFP gives special support to Other Vulnerable Group (OVG) like those with Tuberculosis (TB). Also nine centres in the district also received support from WFP for HIV victims.
Josephine Blakie further explained that 253 primary schools were being supported by WFP in the entire district. “Supplementary feeding is also provided for severely malnourished children at the hospitals in the district,” he noted.
In Luawa, Malema and Jaluahun chiefdoms WFP is giving food for training. Madam Blakie said they hoped to increase their coverage in Kissi Tongi, Upper Bambara, Luawa and Mandu chiefdoms in the district when their business would have been approved from head office.
She complained that the major constraints they were encountering in the district was the bad road condition, and appealed to the community people to brush the road so that more people would be reached. She appealed to the elders to talk to their youths to help as WFP was helping with good roads in their communities other NGOs would also help.
She said WFP was not only for agricultural support but could also support road maintenance, but cautioned that road work could not be supported during the raining season.