Establishment of disaster funds must be within state’s social protection framework
On June 3, 2015, the country experienced flooding and a fire outbreak simultaneously at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, leading to the loss of 159 lives, including mothers and children.
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The damage to lives and properties caused by the twin tragedy has obviously touched the hearts of many corporate entities and individuals who have either established funds or supported national efforts to bring relief to the individuals and families affected directly or indirectly by the flood and fire disasters. However, it is important that the humanitarian activities undertaken by the state, individuals and corporate institutions are done within the social protection framework of the state.
Standard procedures and processes in the establishment and disbursement of funds must be followed. The operationalisation of social protection and welfare issues must conform to the set criteria and rules to enable the state to measure the support received, what is still needed, how donations are distributed to the affected individuals and families etc.
GH¢50 million government support
Recently, the government announced a GH¢ 50 million support package for the victims of the fire and flood in Accra, especially those in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area.
Further to that, individuals and corporate institutions have also established disaster funds for the victims or made direct donations to them, which are all aimed at providing support for the surviving victims and their dependents and families of the deceased.
Where are the guidelines?
The question is; what are the guidelines for the distribution of the items and cash presented by private organisations/persons and the government?
Social protection is the responsibility of the state; individuals and institutions can only participate in its provision.
It is, therefore, important that proper data on the humanitarian situation is made available to show the areas that support is needed most, as well as the kind of items and services that are required to bring real relief to the affected people.
Official statistics
But almost a month after the twin disaster, there is no official statistics, for instance, on the children affected, especially those whose benefactors lost their lives in the catastrophe.
Indeed, beyond the money and items that the affected children may receive from the state and donors, they will need specialised psycho-social therapy to enable them to deal with the rather stressful situation.
Again there is no official statistics on the number of families affected by the floods and fire outbreak. We must note that the floods did not only hit the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and surrounding areas but other communities in Accra and beyond were also affected.
For instance, three communities within the Keta Municipality in the Volta Region were affected by the floods, leaving 515 people displaced at Dzita, 205 at Agbledomi and 87 in Puveme. In all, about 300 households in the area were affected.
Accountability is very important in all the charitable activities being carried out following the tragedy. It is, therefore, unacceptable for people to establish funds for social services without recourse to the government institutions mandated to do so.
The welfare institutions we have in this country may not be the best, but with encouragement and the right support, they will recognise their basic responsibilities and give their best.
Provide data on affected persons
Child Rights International (CRI) wishes to urge those in charge of the national welfare system to be more responsive by quickly providing data on the number of people who died, families affected and the children who have been rendered vulnerable as a result of the tragedy.
The availability of data will inform the state, organisations and individuals on how much is required to deal with social protection issues in emergency situations such as the June 3 calamity.
Proper targeting will also enable us to direct the interventions to the specific people that need them thereby making the investments being made worthwhile.
Social intervention programmes are investments and not gifts. Therefore, the state must be interested in measuring and directing the support that is offered by individuals and organisations to guarantee the safety and comfort of the vulnerable in society.
Our inability to achieve these will lead to total chaos in our uncoordinated effort to render services to disadvantaged people.
Challenge to government
The CRI is throwing a challenge to government to provide data on the affected people in order to set the pace for effective social investment.
There is the need to control the way society responds to such issues in order to provide a framework that will help to hold people accountable for the cash, items and services that they receive on behalf of people who really need social protection.