THERE is a great need for counselling services for the flood-affected people of Oro province, according to the Oro disaster appeal committee.
Secretary Damien Ase said reports reaching the committee’s office were that mothers, who have lost husbands to the flood waters, were contemplating suicide as they begin to realise the dilemma of raising four or even more children on their own.
Mr Ase made these sad revelations while receiving a cheque for K5,600 plus about 20 bags of clothing from the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA).
TPA’s marketing and promotions manager Jim Yomapisi said while TPA was a small non-profit organisation, staff and their families were saddened by the situation in Oro and decided to contribute cash and clothing towards their fellow countrymen.
Mr Ase said together with their NGO partners, the committee was working through the Anglican church, which has an established network in Oro to reach out to the affected people.
He thanked TPA and its staff for their kind generosity and assured them some of the money would go towards the counselling services for the flood victims and their families.
Mr Ase said it would take between eight months to a year for the people to replant new gardens or rebuild their homes and return to normalcy.
He said the National Government’s promised funding allocation for the flood-affected victims was taking too long to be released with only K8 million released so far.