Bishop Launch Food Response Programme
Bishop Launch Food Response Programme
As thousands remain Food insecure
Bishop Peter Musikuwa, on Friday 26th August 2022 launched a food response programme as he inaugurated the distribution of food relief items to victims of drought and flooding in the Diocese. The activity took place at Njale Parish in Thyolo District.
The programme is a response by the Church to the looming hunger in most parts of the diocese which has been aggravated by erratic rains and dry spells . This has resulted in poor harvests.
For example, Esther Michael who hails from Samson Village in the area of Traditional Khwethemule in Thyolo district has only harvested less than a 50kg Bag this year. She ironically realised 5 bags from the same farmland during the previous growing season.
Her story is not different from that of Luwiza Martin of Chaoneka village under TA Changata of the same district. She too has had a paralysing experience in the 2020-2021 growing season. She has had five maize bags out of the forty she harvested the previous season.
Currently, for most of the affected households, having two meals a day sounds like a luxury. According to Njale Parish Council Chairperson, Tanazio David, a majority can only afford a single meal a day adding that it is not uncommon to spend day on ends without any.
Clearly, the affected households need a humanitarian response.
The newly launched programme which is being sponsored by Vatican’s Dicastery for promoting of Integral Human Development will benefit about 1, 500 households. The beneficiaries are getting a 50KG bag of maize and 5kgs of beans.
Speaking at the launch, Bishop Musikuwa urged all people in the Diocese to continue keeping up faith in God amid ravaging disasters. He also urged the beneficiaries to avoid abusing donations.
‘The people that are helping us do not have everything in their lives. But they have the spirit of helping others in extreme predicaments. So I would for example want to urge all of us not to sell the items we have received for something petty like alcohol. Let’s use the food aid wisely’
One of the beneficiaries, Simon Ndafewa, extended gratitude to the church and donors of the aid.
‘I am really excited to have benefited from the programme. I am certainly thankful to the people that have donated these items through our Bishop. This may not take us through the rest of the year but at least we will be able to eat for some time.
During the launch, various individuals made varied appeals including calling on people to be responsible in conserving the environment. The calls come as human behaviour, like wanton cutting down of trees, remain aggravating causatives for climate change.
The launched programme will benefit church members from Molere Parish, Fatima parish, Bangula Parish, Ngabu Parish and Changoima Parish.