AFRICA/UGANDA - “We need concrete immediate help, we are a forgotten people” says Catholic Archbishop of Kampala from areas devastated by floods

Kampala (Agenzia Fides)- An appeal for more humanitarian aid for flood victims has been launched by Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where torrential rains have left thousands homeless (see Fides 2/10/2007).
According to a report from CISA in Nairobi, at the beginning of October Archbishop Lwanga, who is also vice president of i Caritas Internationalis, visited the eastern Ugandan area of Soroti and saw for himself the desperate conditions of the people.
“We are a forgotten people” the Archbishop said. “We need international aid, solidarity and support from the outside world to face this disaster, but so far little has come. Caritas is doing its best to meet emergency needs but the response from the rest of the world is not encouraging”.
Caritas has appealed for 1.6 million dollars to supply food, tents, clean water, sanitation for 6 months for about 20,000 flood victims in eastern Uganda.
An estimated total of 300,000 people have been affected by torrential rains in vast areas of the Uganda. Many districts are still isolated and the harvests have been destroyed. Archbishop Lwanga describes the situation in the area he visited: “When I visited Soroti, the bridges were out of use and I had to continue by boat. There is water everywhere and the people are isolated. Travelling is very dangerous. Thank God there were not many casualties but the harvests have been lost”. The Archbishop of Kampala agrees that the floods are exceptional but he underlines the responsibility of man: “These are the worst floods since 1972. Damage to the environment aggravated the situation. Trees have been felled and people have built in waterlogged areas”.
The World Food Programme is distributing parachuted food aid to isolated communities. “This is the only way to reach people in remote isolated places” a WFP officer said.
More than 1 million people all over Africa have been affected by floods. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 17/10/2007 righe 27 parole 331)