Prairie Volta donates 400 bags of rice to UN Systems, Tuesday, July 3, 2012, Back Page

PRAIRIE Volta, an agro-processing company, has presented 400 bags of rice to the United Nations in support of its humanitarian assistance in Ghana.

The food aid, worth GHc 20,400, is to augment a current shortfall in food supplies of the various refugee camps which is estimated at $2 million.

This is the first time a private entity in Ghana is making contributions to the UN towards the upkeep of refugees in the country.

According to the UN , funding shortfalls affecting the World Food Programme coupled with the continuous influx of refugees in need of material assistance forced the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to reduce by about a third since April 2012, its monthly food supply to the refugees.

The critical needs of the refugees include shelter, water, sanitation, health and education.

Mr John Vandyke-Mensah, the Managing Partner of the company, who presented the rice was optimistic that the donation would go a long way to assist the refugee feeding programme.

“It is a worthy cause and we need to be part of it,” he said.

He said besides contributing to a worthy cause, the donation was also to demonstrate to the UN that it could depend on the local market, especially Prairie, instead of importing rice from outside the country.

The company, he stated, was in a position to offer competitive pricing, and could be depended upon.

Mr Ken Dzirasah, the Chairman of the Ghana Refugees Board, who received the donation, said the presentation was crucial and significant as it would support refugee care and management in the country.

“It is most timely and we receive with great care. Alarm bells have been sounding about the dwindling food stock for refugees in Ghana.”

In March this year, the UN carried out a joint mission to the refugee camps reception centre to assess the needs of the refugees in the wake of imminent food and financial shortage in the refugee programme.

Ms Sharon Cooper, the UNHCR Country Representative, for her part said to save the situation, various donor agencies were being approached while the government had also been appraised of the situation.

“We are actively doing everything we could. Everyone needs to eat and we need to provide them with food,” she stated.

She commended Prairie Volta for its support which she stated was the first time any Ghanaian company was assisting the refugees through the UN.

Currently, there are 11,000 refugees in Ghana from countries such as Cote d’voire, Sudan, Liberia and Iraq.

Through the UN System, the WFP provides food assistance to ensure that the refugees minimum food and nutrition requirements are met to improve overall household security. An assessment conducted in 2011 found that the refugees had very limited sources of income.