By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Christian Aid (CAID), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has supported 7,013 flood victims from 1,016 households across three flood ravaged communities in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Mr Mathias Okpanachi, Executive Director of Youth and Women Health Empowerment Initiative (YAWHEP), CAID implementing partners in Kogi disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lokoja.
Okpanachi said that Christian Aid under its Rapid Response Project implemented the programme in partnership with Ohenyota Care Givers (OCAG), a Benue State-based NGO within a period of 45 days in Kogi State.
He said that the enumeration of households affected by the flood was carried out before the intervention adding that relief materials and cash were distributed to the enumerated victims from the 1,016 flood-affected households.
The YAWHEP Executive Director said that 310 pregnant and lactating mothers as well as 904 children were among the 7,013 flood victims affected and supported by the organisation.
He said that the project aimed to strengthen disaster preparedness in highly probable flood risk Adankolo, Gadumo and Ganaja communities in Lokoja Local Government Area communities
with funding from Start Fund Network with OCAG and YAWHEP as anchor organization.
Speaking on the need for the intervention, he said, “Kogi state is situated along the two major rivers in Nigeria: River Benue and River Niger flowing upstream from the Northeast and Northwest Nigeria.
“Both Rivers Niger and Benue have a confluence in Lokoja, Kogi State making the state the epicenter of the annual flood outlook.
“The state has a population of about 3,314,043 with a total landmass of 29,883 sqm that have been hit by flood disasters notably in 2012. The massive flooding displaced hundreds of thousands of households across states.
“In view of the above, Christian Aid with funding support from Start Fund Network and her partners supported Kogi State Ministry of Health through Kogi State primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) with some free drugs to the flood victims in the three project communities”, he explained. (Ends)