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SOme of the members from over 500 affected fa recieve food donations
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By Tugume Muzafaru
Rubirizi – More than 500 households in Magambo Sub-county, Rubirizi District, have received emergency food relief following a devastating hailstorm that struck the area. The storm, accompanied by heavy rains and strong winds, destroyed gardens, homes, and food crops, leaving many families vulnerable.
Team Hon. Arinitwe Jeniva Nalongo, the NRM flag bearer for Woman Member of Parliament in Rubirizi District, distributed over 1,500 kilograms of posho to residents in six villages: Kyema, Nyakihanda, Bugaya, Butezi, Busonga, and Butoha. Each household received 10 kilograms of posho to help them cope with immediate food shortages caused by the disaster.
Some of the beneficiaries with their posho
While handing over the relief items at Bugaya Parish Headquarters, Hon. Nalongo encouraged residents to embrace sustainable farming practices such as mulching, afforestation, and tree planting as long-term measures to protect their gardens from future disasters. She also directed local leaders to continue registering all affected families and forward the lists to district authorities for additional support.
Hon. Nalongo further appealed to government to prioritize disaster-hit families when allocating funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM) and to strengthen community SACCOs, so that vulnerable households are not overburdened with loan repayments during recovery.
“The people of Magambo have suffered greatly from this disaster. I appeal to government to channel more PDM funds and ensure SACCOs strengthen families instead of pressuring them with loans at such a difficult time. Parents are struggling, and even paying school fees has become a heavy burden. I also call upon school leaders to be lenient and supportive to these children,” Hon. Nalongo said.
Mr. Innocent Byamukama, Chairperson and sole sponsor of Team Nalongo Jeniva, who led the delegation that delivered the food, reassured residents that the intervention was an emergency response to restore hope.
“We mobilized our own resources to provide this food support. Each household has received at least 10 kilograms of posho because families are struggling to find what to eat. Magambo is known for supplying food to the entire district, but the storm has left many households helpless. We appeal to government to quickly step in with additional assistance,” he noted.
Meanwhile, local leaders led by Mr. Tugabirwe Laurance, LC1 Chairperson of Bugaya I, and Hon. Kinjinia Molly, Vice Chairperson of Magambo Sub-county, thanked Hon. Nalongo and her team for the timely intervention. They emphasized that residents had been left vulnerable after losing crops, homes, and belongings.
They further appealed to government for more emergency assistance, warning that without intervention, families in Magambo risk facing hunger, poverty, and worsening household instability.
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