Vulnerable in Kitwe get relief food

OVER 1,000 bags of mealie meal have been distributed to the aged and vulnerable people in Miseshi Mindolo of Kitwe to cushion the impact of the high price of the staple food.

Patriotic Front (PF) Nkana Member of Parliament (MP) Alexander Chiteme handed over the mealie meal in 25 kg bags on Saturday.

Mr Chiteme explained that Government was giving out mealie meal to the aged and the poor under the Relief Food Programme (RFP) of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in the office of the Vice-President

Mr Chiteme, who is also National Development Planning Minister, was speaking at Spring Board Academy when he officiated at the handing over of mealie meal.

He said government would continue to identify the vulnerable and aged so that it could help them under the RFP and in various ways

"We are giving out more than 1000 x 25 kilogrammes of mealie-meal to the vulnerable and poor in Miseshi township of Mindolo. The whole idea is to cushion the impact of the high price of the staple food.

"As Government, we believe that the aged and the vulnerable cannot afford to buy the mealie meal, hence our decision to come to our aid. We will continue to identify the aged and help them under the RFP,'' Mr Chiteme said

Mr Chiteme said the programme of identifying the aged and helping them with mealie meal under the RFP would continue in other parts of the constituency.

He said the fact that there would be elections in 2021, should not stop Government from performing its duty of looking after the vulnerable and the poor.

''We will not stop performing our functions as a Government for fear of saying we are campaigning for 2021. We have a job to do, and as for the opposition, they can say whatever comes to their mind,'' he said

Some of the old people who received the mealie-meal commended Government for the gesture, saying it was a relief to them.

Timeke Mtonga aged 54 said the mealie meal would go a long way to alleviate hunger in her home, especially all her children who used to help her were dead

Apart from all her children dead, the husband was crippled and so she was the only bread winner.

"There is hunger in my house, but this bag of mealie meal will go a long way to reduce hunger which has ravaged my home. Am so grateful for this gesture,'' Ms Mtonga said

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