Gareth Shrubsole and Pastor Alfonse Bwambale (BMS World Mission/Kasese Baptist Association in Kasese, Uganda) wrote to tell us about the relief that has been provided to victims of the Kasese floods.
“Our warmest thanks for the generous donation that EI sent for flood relief here in Kasese. Alfonse did a lot of research, driving around different parts of Kasese (he has a motorbike) and concluded that Kanyangeya on the Eastern edge of Kasese, not far from the airfield, was the place with the greatest needs that were not being met by other donors or government agencies. Your generous donation is greatly appreciated and will really make a difference to the 201 families it helped.
There is another village on the Eastern edge of Kasese town called Karusandara, which was also badly affected and remains in need of further help.”
The funds that we, Emmanuel International UK, were able to provide, formed part of the overall relief work. We fundraised for a ‘basic kit’ consisting of cooking utensils and blankets, but once the need was re-assessed, taking into account the relief that was already provided by of the agencies, it was decided to purchase different items. It meets the real need of the people.
We also received a copy of the official report Pastor Alfonse wrote for District Government about the relief distribution in mid-July, which gives an overview of all the relief work that has been done in the area, funded by different organisations. This is what it said:
“We have been most concerned about the situation of those who have been affected by the recent flooding in Kasese. On 8 May we distributed 133 blankets to those affected from Congo Quarter, paid for by BMS World Mission. On 22 May we distributed 200 jerry cans, 400 plates and 600 cups to 200 households from Saluti village who had lost most of their household items in the floods, and gave some food aid to people from Congo Quarter, paid for by a donation of 2.5 Million Ugandan Shillings from another international Baptist partner, the US based World Venture. We recently received another donation, of 7.4 Million Ugandan Shillings from another longstanding international Christian partner, the UK based Emmanuel International.
Working with local pastors, community members and Local Chairmen, we identified 201 families in Kanyangeya who were badly affected by the floods and overlooked by other relief efforts. On 15 July we conducted a relief distribution at Kasese Central Baptist Church to help those families. Leonard Kasereka from Nyamwamba and Tadeo from Kanyangeya were there to ensure that the aid was given to the affected families on their list. Each household was given 1 empty jerry-can (10 litres), 1 basin, 1 saucepan, 2 kg of posho*, 1 kg of dried beans and 2 mosquito nets, all of which were purchased locally. We also gave blankets to 5 orphans whose parents were killed by the floods. 400,000 shillings remain, which will be used to help some of these families with medical expenses.”
Please continue to pray for the victims of the floods and for those who are organising the relief efforts.
Read more in earlier posts about the Kasese Flood Relief Appeal:
Update on the Kasese Flood Situation