Floods and Drought Victims are in need of long term empowerment cries Care for Nature Zambia Executive Director Nsama Musonda Kearns Friday 17th July 2020

Care for Nature Zambia 

FLOODS and Drought Victims are in need of long term empowerment cries Care for Nature Zambia Executive Director Nsama Musonda Kearns

Friday 17th July 2020

THE windy weather conditions and drop in temperature which is being experienced in some parts of the country will impact heavily on women and families that have been affected by floods and drought. Apart from causing negative health conditions, the predicated change in weather may affect home based gardening, blow off roofs and damage houses especially those built of mud or have been recently rehabilitated after suffering collapse from floods.
This is a crucial and most critical time to implement the Climate Change Gender Action Plan because climate change driven disasters are threatening food security at house hold level which in turn will accelerate poverty.
According to the Climate Change Gender Action Plan, Zambia is already feeling the effects of climate change with increasing rates and severity of floods, leaving hunger and poverty in their wake, with each affecting at least a million people. The problematic risk of a single flood in the future is estimated to cause an absolute loss of US$ 25 million to the Zambian economy.
The 2019/2020 Recovery Action Plan further states that about 2.3 million people during the lean season between October 2019 and March 2020 are estimated to be facing IP Phase 3 or worse food security situation. Agriculture and food security, education, health, nutrition, infrastructure, social protection and water and sanitation are some of the key sectors of development that require intervention under the recovery plan.
There is urgent need to build community resilience to natural disasters through economic empowerment programs, livelihood diversification and assert creation at household level.
As Zambian Women, we have adopted an initiative which is being spear headed by Alliance for Nutrition and Reconstruction, Care for Nature Zambia, Save the Environment and People Agency, Shiwangandu Development Trust and Zambia Alliance for Women to raise funds and collect resources to help families that have been affected by floods and droughts in various parts of the country. The Women aiding women campaign has a key focus to build sustainable livelihood of women because women and girls suffer the most when disasters strike and carry the burden of caring for their families and community members.
The women aiding women campaign recently donated mealie meal, masks and financial resources worth K5, 250.00, to women in Kakonge Village of Lufwanyama District who were affected by floods. The donation was made possible with support from Sport in Action, Mine Workers Union, Zambia Alliance for Women and members of the Copper Belt Women aiding Women Committee.
Our organization seeks to partner with cooperating partners to strengthen the district and satellite disaster management committees and also build the capacity of affected women to engage in creative, innovative and sustainable livelihoods projects to reduce vulnerability and hunger at house hold level. We are therefore appealing to the departments of commerce and agriculture to put flood and drought victims as number one priority when receiving recovery support and farming incentives. We are also ready to work with the ministry of Gender and Natural resources to ensure that families affected by natural disasters receive information, awareness, disaster risk reduction, preparedness and early warning signs and empowerment that will help them to recover and cope from the effects of floods and drought including the emerging issue of Corona Virus pandemic.
It is only 5 months before heavy rains return therefore we are appealing to all concerned citizens to join this noble cause of responding to emergency needs of families affected by natural disaster.

Nsama Musonda Kearns
Executive Director
Care for Nature Zambia

Nsama Musonda Kearns Executive Director
Care for Nature Zambia   www.rainbownewszambia.com

www.rainbownewszambia.com

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike